Game of doom
by invaderzimlovr15
Summary: AU Story. Every hundred years the Rokniks come to collect contenders from multiple planets to play in a death game for their own amusement, broadcasted for anyone who wants to watch all over the universe. There are no rules. Let the games begin.
1. The collection process

a/n: hi every one. This story was originally written by ravenfollower13 and for those of you who have read it know that she's taking it off the internet so i'm continuing it for her. i will post the first 9 chapters and sometime tomarrow post the next chapter.

* * *

_It had never happened before. Not there. Not on Earth._

_He remembered it well._

_She remembered it better._

_"Are you ready, kids?"_

_They looked up at the same time, both of them silent. Neither of them said a word, but no one expected them to. What words were there to say? The intruder nodded and gestured for them to follow. They got up slowly, in no hurry, but quick enough to not be considered stalling. After all, why delay the inevitable?_

_"Follow me."_

_The two of them did, never touching, but never straying more then a few inches from the other. The boy had his hands balled into fists at his sides, eyes focused on what was ahead of him, determination in his sharp gaze. Beside him the girl had her arms crossed and was looking at the floor, hyper aware of the person beside her and wishing that they were anywhere but here. In truth it was because he never should've been there in the first place. It was her fault he was there._

_He remembered it well._

_She remembered it better._

_**6 Years Ago**_

"I don't care," She snapped, eyes never leaving the device in front of her.

_Just two more points-!_

"How could you not care? This is fate-of-the-world kind of stuff, Gaz! Aren't you even the _slightest_ bit interested?" Her brother complained, scowling at her as he whined.

She rolled her eyes internally, not risking removing her real ones from the screen for a moment, lest she risk getting killed while doing so. "No, Dib. I don't. Now go be stupid somewhere else, I'm busy killing the Dark Master."

Dib scoffed. "You're twelve. Shouldn't you be less violent?"

"And your thirteen," She shot back, pausing her game for a moment to glare at him. "Shouldn't you be less interested in ghosts and more interested in girls?"

He opened his mouth to argue and then shrugged, lying back on the surrounding grass. "Fair point."

The two were in a meadow, well outside the safety of city grounds. But neither of them believed in the myths that kept so many inside the Boundary. Not even Dib, the most optimistic person in the world.

Well, their world. They couldn't really account for the any other planet's optimism.

Only the surrounding noise of nature and Gaz's resumed video-game filled the air. Dib smiled to himself, his trench coat feeling just right as the sun warmed his pale skin. Despite the fact these children were probably one of the most well-sunned people in their area, it obviously wasn't enough. They were both considerably pale, even by the normal standards, as no one went outside unless it was raining because that was the only time it was 'safe'. Dib scoffed at the thought, closing his eyes and inhaling the fresh air deeply. You just didn't get this kind of purity inside the Dome. Everything smelled like ashes and potato chips. An odd combination and certainly not a pleasant one.

"Enjoying yourselves?"

Dib opened his eyes and Gaz looked up just as she dealt the last blow, killing the boss. She muted it, not bothering to pause, as the cutscenes were always stupid and she normally skipped them anyways. Over them stood the rest of the people who 'dared go outside the Boundary'. Dib liked them, even though they thought him odd. Gaz loathed them but she tolerated them because the two children, despite their unnatural capabilities to take care of themselves, were not allowed outside the Boundary or even the Dome without the supervision of the Praeters*.

"Yeah." Dib said, enthusiastically, pointing upwards to the left, with unnatural precision. "Can we stay till dark out today? I want to see Saturn. It's supposed to be coming out tonight."

The man, known as Mr. Dwicky, smiled. "Sure, Dib. What'd you think, Gaz? Up for a late-nighter?"

Gaz detested Dwicky the most. He was part of the Council who dealt with children, specifically the ones who had particularly difficult times adjusting to the Dome and the Boundary. Especially when they realized what they were supposedly being protected from. In fact twenty years ago, it had been him who had started and gotten the Praeters approved. But Gaz, as well as half the city, did not believe in the stories that kept them contained inside. In fact the majority of the population believed it was just the Council's way of keeping their inhabitants under control but while there were those who believed, the rules would be enforced.

"I . . . guess," She finally replied, eyes flicking back to her game, disliking the specific attention.

Dwicky smiled at her and her brother, who was now sitting up and beaming at the sky. From the day he'd met them, he'd been well aware of the specialness of these two children. Upon hearing from Professor Membrane, their father, that he had already told them both about why they were kept in the Dome, Dwicky had become alarmed and ordered a personal emergency meeting with the two of them, under the impression their psyche must have been shattered. The Council member had been furious and disappointed with the famous professor. Children could not handle such frightening truths!

Such a surprise he got when he met the two; a boy, only ten at the time and as eager to please as the next child. However unlike every other child, this boy was not ignorant. He was quite smart, like his father, as was his sister. After seeing the joyful little Dib, he'd expected the same overall activeness from his sister. What a shock he got when the dark little mystery walked into the room, only nine and yet seeming oh so much older. A woman in a child's body. Her intelligence was immense and her maturity far greater then what might've been considered healthy. But after a few more questions, he'd become well aware these two were minimally, if not wholly unaffected by the news. At first Dwicky had thought they just didn't understand, until Gaz had spoken her opinion.

"If I cared about aliens," She'd stated, in a high-pitched, intelligent voice that always made him crack a smile. "Then I wouldn't be so averse to hearing Dib's stupid theories. But I don't care."

"And even if she does get attacked by aliens," Her brother had interjected, choosing to ignore her insulting remarks, a skill Dwicky was quite surprised (and somewhat saddened) the boy had at all. "I'll be right there to protect her!"

She had seemed considerably irritated, glaring at her brother, who'd been standing dominantly like a superhero. "Like I need protecting!"

Dwicky smiled at the memory, watching Dib scramble up the tree his sister was leaning against, trying to get a better view of the sky, no doubt. His sister ignored him entirely, eyes narrowed to slits as she focused intently on her game screen. Gaz was one of those children who disliked dependency. Disapproved of it even. She wasn't a child who had deluded herself into believing she was mature; she _was_mature. It was almost a pity she wouldn't ever really understand childhood but as it was often filled with confused frustration, Dwicky didn't feel too bad for her. Or Dib, whose imagination stretched beyond even the limits of the Boundary inhabitants, myths and all. It was with these content thoughts the leader of the Praeters left, to go inform the others he would be staying to watch over the kids and anyone else was welcome to join them.

"I'm bored." Gaz finally stated, a few minutes later. She slipped the game into her pocket after beating the last boss, the device no longer holding any interest to her. "Let's go home."

"We can't," Her brother called down, swinging himself out on a branch, legs wrapped around it, as well as one hand, the other holding binoculars fastened securely to his neck. "We're staying till nightfall, remember?"

Gaz huffed, crossing her arms and blowing a stray hair from her face. For a moment Dib heard nothing, remaining focused, eyes straining for any signs of anything. There was nothing in particularly the newly blossomed teenager was looking for but it didn't hurt to be observant. The rustling of bushes caught his attention. He lowered his binoculars, turning his head curiously. Only when he saw his sister making her way through the underbrush did he become alarmed, quickly releasing his binoculars, letting them drape around his neck, as he made his way quickly after her, catching up within a few minutes.

"Gaz!" He shouted, disapprovingly as they came to a new clearing. "You shouldn't run off like that! You could get hurt!"

His sister turned and gave him a look, a single brow raised. "You're kidding me, right?"

"No!" Dib snapped, crossing his arms and giving her a stern glare only an older brother could give. "You're not to go around without me, okay? We should get back to Dwicky and the other Praeters. This area doesn't have clearance."

"Clearance shmearance!" His sister scoffed, running off without another word.

Alarmed and stunned, it took Dib a moment to realize what had happened. This proved to be of some consequence, as his sister was easily the fastest (girl or otherwise) within the Dome and even the Boundary. Possibly their country, but that was something that couldn't be proven. Thankfully, Dib was second to his sister and with any luck, he could catch up to her, or at least be able to keep an eye on her until she stopped.

Gaz had no intention of stopping anytime soon though and was thankful of her agile capabilities that kept her from needing to stop and pick her way over anything. Instead she nimbly leaped across holes, fallen logs, or any other obstruction in her path as she ran. Dib was not quite as slippery as his sister was but while he wasn't as graceful, he was every bit as efficient. Just because it didn't look pretty or neat didn't make it any less helpful when it came to catching his sister.

"Gaz!" He shouted, wasting precious air. "Where are you going?"

"As far from those idiots as possible!" She snapped back. And if it was possible, she got quicker and finally,_finally,_ she lost her brother.

Oh, of course she could hear him, wherever he was, shouting panickedly but Gaz was not concerned. She knew he would go back eventually. They'd run in a straight line, after all, and she'd made enough of a path for him to easily find his way. Eventually, she would too, but not now. Gaz needed time to think now, time away from her stupid brother, the Praeters and anything else that could've been thought about.

She picked her way quietly now, defensively eying her surroundings. Gaz wasn't afraid, no, but she wasn't stupid. Just because there weren't mythological creatures in the woods didn't mean there wasn't something else that could hurt her._Hurt_, because nothing could kill her. She was far too quick for that. And if something couldn't catch you, it couldn't kill you, simple as that.

A rustling caught her attention and she turned on her heel, without a sound, ready to sprint off at a moments notice.

There was the sound of struggling and for a moment, she thought Dib had followed and gotten caught in some brambles in his haste to find her. So with an eye roll, his sister sighed and shook her head, pushing past the bushes.

"Dib!" She snapped, "Just go back to the-!"

A piercing noise, immediately compared to the sound of metal scraping against glass (although it Gaz had never heard it before, it was the only thing she could think of), filled the air. She hissed in surprise, eyes squeezing shut automatically and her hands clamping to her ears to stop that noise. Forcing her eyes open immediately after though, her surprised amber and forever irritated gaze rested on a machine charging right at her, as if outraged.

She did not scream.

She would not scream.

In what seemed like a moment Gaz was seven feet from where she had been, sprinting away without a second thought to her direction. She did not glance over her shoulder as that was far too risky going at her speed and not tripping/running into anything required her utmost attention. Besides, the noise that damned thing made was more than enough to inform her that it was indeed chasing her. Possibly gaining on her. Vaguely, she thought she heard Dib's voice shouting her name but there wasn't time to check. There was only time to run.

An entirely unexpected slam on her hip sent her reeling left, skidding for a few seconds before rolling onto her hands and knees, looking up and demanding an answer to what had hit her. Her eyes widened once again with surprise as a figure, only a few inches from her, rolled to its feet panting, shaking the dirt off from an absurd, apparently bald head she couldn't quite comprehend, before a red gaze turned its attention to her. It seemed displeased, eyes narrowing.

"Oh," It said, in an equally odd voice. "You aren't Skoodge."

Her own eyes narrowed.

"No," She snapped, "I'm not."

But she did not offer her name and neither did the creature in front of her. It also made no move to help her back to her feet, although that hardly mattered, as Gaz wouldn't have accepted the help anyways.

"Hm," It seemed confused. "Then why was the Megadoomer chasing _you_?"

"I don't know." Gaz huffed, getting ready to run again, not particularly concerned that the person she was talking to was green. It was relatively humanoid and that was all that really registered in her head as she glanced to where the robot was, still in the trees, looking around wildly now. "And I don't really care. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to go find my stupid brother before he gets himself killed by that thing- sorry, the_Megadoomer_."

The thing's eyes narrowed at the mocking tone she used when speaking the robots name, as if it was insulted.

"What _are_ you, little creature?" It asked, peering at her.

Gaz took a few steps backwards, hopping from foot to foot to ensure she could run without problem.

"Human." She finally said, well aware by now that the thing in front of her was otherwise placed. "I'm a human female."

"Ah," It nodded, as if this explained everything, turning towards the device with the same apprehension she had, except physically vocalized. "Female. That figures."

Her brow rose. For a moment she wanted to question what the thing meant by that, but after another moment of deliberation, she decided it didn't matter. So she just shook her head and turned away, scanning the forest and creating a route in her head where she could back-track without confronting the beast. "Whatever."

An explosion to their left sent both of them to their knees again and Gaz felt something hot slice across her cheek. She hissed in pain, gripping her cheek and pulling her hand away to find a few drops of blood on her hand. Any normal twelve year old would have panicked, but not this one. Instead she just huffed, decided she was lucky it wasn't worse and turned her attention to the source of the explosion. You know the saying; an eye for an eye and in this case, blood for blood.

Another strange, humanoid figure darted out, crouching on top of a boulder, glaring violet daggers at the figure that had 'saved' her.

"_**Zim**_!" She growled, pointing an accusing finger at him as she jumped dramatically to her feet. "You-!"

Whatever declaration she was about to make was cut off by the wail of an alarm ricocheting through the entire forest. Unseen lights suddenly protruded from bushes and trees, flashing red and making the whole forest seem like it was on fire.

"Look what you did, you idiotic little _donka_!" Zim shrieked, spinning on his heel to glare at her. "You've alerted the _whole_ _**planet**_ to our presence!"

She had nothing to say to that and Gaz ignored the dispute, eyes shooting to the robot, adrenaline instinct starting to kick in. As she suspected, the explosion the "donka" had made had attracted its attention and now its red eyes were eying them with what might've been anger, if robots had feelings. It began charging over, stomping, unnoticed by the two bickering extraterrestrials. A glance back informed her the way she had been planning on running was now set ablaze, thanks to the (presumably) female alien. Which meant she'd either have to run past it or fight it. Hmm.

Well, she probably couldn't do it alone.

"Hey!" She snapped, interrupting the two of them and backing up, trying to blend in with the shadows. "I don't suppose any of you have any ideas on how to get that thing off our tails, do you?"

The two stopped and watched the approaching robot, having some difficulty distangling itself from vines and looking rather foolish, for the time being. But Gaz did not doubt that a great force lurked behind that momentarily gawky and crude disposition.

Zim growled and the female-looking creature beside him did the same. Gaz watched with slight curiosity as their antennae went flat against their heads, intense, vibrant eyes narrowing at the monster.

"Ah," Gaz noted to herself aloud, turning back towards the monster about to tear its way from the underbrush. "So it's not yours."

"Of course it isn't," The presumed female snapped, making Gaz's brow rise. She had to have magnificent hearing if she'd heard that little mutter over the racket of the robot. She pointed a gloved finger at Gaz, which gave her the opportunity to note that there were only three, not five. "Watch her, Zim! You take care of planet evaluation, _I'll_ take care of the robot!"

"You do not tell Zim what to do!" He shrieked, lunging at her.

Gaz hissed in frustration as she watched them tussle, scratching and attacking violently. Vaguely, she wondered if this was some sort of courtship, but decided that they seemed to hate each other far too much to have any relationship whatsoever.

Dib was screaming.

All manly like though.**

If he'd been warmed by the sun now, it was a far too distant memory. It might as well be burning him now. Regardless, the idea of taking a break never occurred to him. His sister was somewhere in this forest, surrounded by dense trees and the sounds of screeching metal and fire. Than again, maybe it was the fact he was running in a forest with fire that was making him so hot . . .

A clang of metal and a shout in a language he did not understand caught his attention.

Immediately he spun around, ready to defend himself. To an onlooker it would've been quite a sight indeed; a boy, barely on the edge of puberty, sweating bullets and scarred by branches he'd been in far too much of a hurry to avoid, trying to catch his breath as he prepared to defend himself. Yes, an intimidating thing indeed.

A figure, small and fat, tumbled from the bushes, looking rather warn itself. It shoved itself back to, presumably, its feet before rushing towards Dib, seeing Dib and then skidding to a halt just as it broke into the daylight.

Dib's jaw dropped. In turn, the thing stared back. In a moments time all previous thought of searching for his sister dissolved, filled only with the color green and thoughts of an atopsy table. His finger shot up then, nearly closing the distance between the wide ruby eyes and the sweaty little boy.

"Y-You're . . .!" And he cleared his suddenly squeaky voice, blinking rapidly as he cleared his racing mind. "YOU'RE AN ALIEN!"

And then, just as quickly as it came, the thing's antennae dropped and it was gone, racing past Dib without a word.

"HEY WAIT!" Dib shouted, giving chase. "Come back here, alien scum!"

The run that had seemed so laboring was now fresh to him as Dib pushed himself farther than he had with the spark of excitement, his ice blue eyes given to him by genetics never leaving the fat, pudgy, oddly fast alien running away from him. He couldn't stop the giggling coming from his mouth, a waste of air that he really needed. It was only when things got incredibly He was panicking; that was fairly evident. At his speed they soon reached their destination and began, much to Dib's horror, running towards the flames.

"Hey wait, don't go in there!" He shouted, warningly, "You'll get yourself killed and then I can't show you to the world!"

The creature finally skidded to a stop and before Dib could react, it was on top of him, knocking him harshly into the floor and clamping what could only be presumed as a hand over his mouth. Dib squirmed and began struggling, noting the leathery glove rather than flesh that was touching him, but could not fight him off.

"Look!" It snapped, "I don't know what planet this is or even what galaxy I'm in right now, but right now, I need to find Zim. _Okay_?"

Dib just layed there and stared, unable to form words.

It sighed, getting up and holding out it's hand. "What's your identification?"

"My _what_?" Dib questioned, taking the offering and allowing the thing to pull him up. "Oh, my name. I'm Dib!" He shrieked, jumping into a heroic pose, fists firmly planted on his hips. "Defender of Earth and Elite Member of Swollen Eyeball!" There was a pause, in which he glanced over to see the thing simply eying him, boredly. Embarrassed, he put his arms down and glanced up again. "So, what's your, um, identification?"

Immediately it was saluting, startling Dib as it shouted in a very practiced form. "Invader Skoodge, reporting for duty, _sir_!"

"Skoodge, huh?" Dib nodded. "Alright_Skoodge_, what are you doing on my planet?"

"Well, like I said, I'm looking for Zim right now." Skoodge insisted, reaching behind him. Curious, Dib peaked to see a device on his back open, revealing foreign weaponry. Dib stared in awe as Skoodge began toying with it, apparently preparing himself for something. "Before Tak or the Megadoomer get him."

"The Megadoomer?" Dib inquired, noting the rather fancy name. "What's that, another foreign race?"

Skoodge snorted, shaking his head. Odd, since he appeared to have no neck. "Hardly. It's a robot that- Look, I don't have time to explain. If you want to come along, go ahead, but realize you're putting yourself in danger if you get-!"

"_**WOW!**_" Dib shrieked in wide-eyed amazement, his eyes stretching to be the size of his large, circular glasses. Skoodge recoiled at once, his antenna flattenning against his head at the unwelcome noise. Hissing as he realized that he'd dropped his weapon, he bent over to pick it up. "What is _that_?"

Alarmed, Skoodge spun around.

Just in time to see the Megadoomer crash directly towards them.

The slam of the robot's palm next to them returned their attention to the situation at hand, separating the fighting pair and sending all three of them scattering. Somehow Zim was thrown next to Gaz and would've been knocked into her had Gaz not had the reaction time to dart to the side. Instead of Gaz the little extraterrestrial ended up colliding with a tree. He cried out in pain, catching the robot's attention as it swiveled its head in their direction. She was careful not to take her eyes of the Megadoomer, trying to figure out how she would get out of this one. Her back was to the flame, so there was nowhere to run. She made a face. If she could just get a distraction, she could run past it and leave these things to deal with what they'd brought to her planet.

Tak chose that moment of the Megadoomer's distraction to leap up onto its head, slamming some sort of metal appendage that seemed to have sprung from her backpack (which Gaz had just taken notice of) into its forehead. It shuttered and sparked as electric currents ran across its variously shaded red body, making Gaz's eyes widen. She took a moment to stare at it before shaking the awe off and sprinting past the convulsing thing with every intention of getting out of the forest and finding her brother. She nearly growled at the thought of seeing Dib again. As soon as he found her he'd be going off about being right and the last thing he needed was that head of his to get bigger when his ego inflated.

"Hey!" Zim shouted after her. "Where are you going?"

She did not answer, nor did she stop and turn around. Gaz continued running, hell-bent on getting as far from that mess as possible. And thus being so focused she had barely any time to redirect as she saw a metallic hand rush towards her. She darted away and watched it slip, slamming through the trees. Panting heavily Gaz forced herself back onto her hands and knees, taking a moment to recover.

"Foolish being!" Zim shrieked, gripping her by her forearm and hoisting her forcibly to her feet. "You do not pull stupid stunts like that with the Megadoomer still functioning and within range!"

"GAZ!"

"Mm?" Zim let out a noise, antennae quirking as both of them turned.

Gaz groaned upon seeing the source, jerking her arm away from Zim a moment later. "Dib, get out of here!"

"Gaz, look at all this cool _alien_ stuff!" Dib shouted, disregarding her shout. He was far too pumped to have any rational thought. The Megadoomer, after the particularly nasty crash, had since remained immobile. However Skoodge had begun backing away from it, eying it warily. From some unknown place Dib had retrieved a camera and was now furiously taking picture, flash after flash making everyone's eyes hurt.

Zim took notice of the green being, immediately growling and pointing accusnig fingers. "Skoodge! Where have you been?"

At once the alien wilted, looking nervous and at the same time defensive. "I was looking for-!"

"While you've been out playing on this planet, I've been dealing with the Megadoomer _and_ Tak!" Zim interrupted, ignoring his reply as he continued shouting and scolding his companion. Tak, meanwhile, was playing with some device on her wrist.

Gaz rolled her eyes. Even foreign planets with advanced technology had stupid inhabitants. Truly the universe had no hope at all. She sighed, shaking her head when something from her peripheral vision caught her attention. She turned, brow rising. In a moment though, she too was yelling.

"DIB!" She shouted, stepping towards the robot, of which her brother was now on top of. "Get down from there right now you big idiot!"

"Gaz, this is amazing! You should see this stuff, it's so much more amazing up close!" He called back with glee, entirely oblivious to the rising panic in the area, from all four persons.

"Idiot!" Tak snapped, dropping her wrist as a finalized beeping noise went off. "Get away from that thing! It's still active! Do you have a death wish?"

"Crap," Gaz muttered, darting over. "Dib, I swear, if I have to drag you down from that thing I'm going to make you wish you didn't have a sister!"

"Fools!" Zim was shouting now.

Gaz growled, drowning out the rest of his noise. This ordeal had far too many exclamations for her taste. When they got home, she was going to beat to snot out of Dib for putting her through this (the fact that she'd been the one to run off in the first place completely slipping her mind) and than invest in a pair of earmuffs. Headphones, too, had lost their appeal at this point. No point in drowning out noise with more noise when she desired only quiet.

At this point she had stomped her way to the Megadoomer and Dib had finally had his fill of pictures from the top, now trying at different angles from the floor. Thus at the advantage of having him once again level with her, Gaz gripped him by the collar and brought him very close to her face, forcing him to look into her eyes. Dib paled, silencing, his energy draining out of him the longer he stared at his terrifying sister (who seemed very close to ending his life at the moment).

"We're going home," She growled. "Now."

Dib gulped and nodded, "O-Okay."

With another growl she turned on her heal, still dragging him by the collar, in the opposite direction of the clearing. Losing interest in this, Tak than took the time to inform them that an Irken Retrieval unit was coming to fetch them and that they should be leaving shortly. With the new help, they'd easily destroy the Megadoomer as well.

"We wouldn't have needed help if you'd not attacked me in the first place," Zim stated haughtily, crossing his arms and raising his chin.

Tak growled. "I wasn't attacking you! You ran into my ship, you idiot!"

"You lie! YOU LIE!"

Thus being so surrounded by so much tenseness, Skoodge turned his attention back to the Megadoomer. He froze.

"Uh, guys." Skoodge squeaked.

"You're stupid crap-!"

"Guys." The invader reapeated, gaining levelity in his voice, but lacking actual volume.

"It's hardly my fault you're such a failure!"

"You RUINED my LIFE. Of course it's your fault!"

"Well if you're going to blame people instead of take responsibility-!"

"YOU CAUSED THE BLACKOUT!"

"GUYS!" Skoodge finally shrieked, causing everyone to stop and look at him.

Gaz spun around than, catching sight of the shadow looming over them. More specifically, aimed at her brother, who was still too busy scrolling through his pictures to notice. Her head darted from her brother to the hand reaching out to him, a light shining directly on his back.

"Dib," She breathed, choking on the word as her blood ran cold.

"Hm?" He questioned, turning to look at her with inquiry.

Upon seeing her expression of horror, things seemed to slow down for him. Dib had barely turned around when something hard slammed into his ribs, sending him flying to the ground. The tips of the robots icy hands just carressed his cheek before it was gone. It took a moment for his brain to realize that he'd been pushed out of the way. It took another for him to look up and see his sister, now grasped firmly in the robot's hands, and struggling like mad.

"GAZ!" He shouted, struggling to get up. But something twisted in his insides and he cried out in pain. Gaz's shove and his twisted form made him land funny. He figured something was sprained and now he wheezed, trying to make himself move.

"NO!" Skoodge shouted in alarm.

"It can't have a tribute!" Tak added, pointing her finger at the monster holding the girl. "Get her out of there!"

Meanwhile Gaz, very much like her brother, couldn't breathe. The grip was too tight and despite it only holding her around her waist and down, she felt like she was going to pop. She pulled but she didn't even budge. From up here though, things were very quiet. Gaz grunted a few more times before realizing she couldn't hear anyone below her. Despite the discomfort it was . . . kind of nice being up so high. Curious she turned to look at the robots head as a red light came forth, expanding to scan her before focusing on her chest.

"Tribute Identified." It said, speaking for the first time, making her eyes narrow. "Species Unknown. State race, being."

"Human," She replied, not entirely sure what was compelling her to speak. "I'm female. Now put me down you stupid piece of scrap metal! Now!"

"Species Identified." It continued, either ignoring her command or oblivious of information it wasn't programmed to understand. "Prepare for Mezmerization."

Her eyes narrowed further, "Mezmera-?"

That was all she got out before a piercing scream echoed through the air. Gaz was filled with disbelief as she realized that, quite unwillingly, it was her who was screaming. Surprised she felt her body arch painfully backwards, instinctively trying to lean as far away from the electrical currents shooting from the robots arm in a violent red light. Over her own screams, she thought she might've heard someone elses', as well as seeing a few bright flashes of light. However she couldn't be sure as only a few seconds later a black cloud descended from all sides and the world became very, very black and infinite.


	2. It begins now

_**6 Years Ago**_

_Gaz's eyes shifted open, slowly coming into awareness. She noted voices and was careful not to make too much noise, glancing around at what she could see. Being still wasn't so hard when she saw Dib in a hospital bed a few feet away, eyes shut, looking unnaturally pale. For a moment she thought he was dead until the gentle rise and fall of his chest caught her attention._

_"They've been Marked." Someone was saying. Even just tuning in Gaz could feel the tension in the room. Confused, she listened in, frowning. What were they talking about?_

_She recognized someone sigh, Dwicky. He spoke with a greatly strained voice, like it was on the verge of cracking. Very much how Dib's prepubescent voice sounded on the off occasion. "And there's nothing we can do about it?"_

_"If the other species haven't been able to figure it out, I doubt our__technology__can," Membrane, her father, muttered. Her father was here? Since when did he show up to anything of theirs?_

_It was at this time Dib let out a groan, eyes blinking awake. Things went quiet again. She chose this time to sit up, shaking her hair out and turning to glare at them._

_"What exactly are you talking about?"_

_**Present Time**_

_There is__a game__._

She was very tired. So very tired, but she couldn't stop running.

_Unlike all others._

And her brother was here, too, which meant he couldn't stop running either. But she knew by just watching him run, struggling to breathe, that if he stopped or stumbled she would do the same. Like he was just a mirror image of her and she him. They couldn't function without the other because if one wasn't doing the same thing, the whole frame would go into chaos.

_That violates every right you think you have._

Her brother cried out, both of them skidding to a halt as the figure loomed over them, before them, towering above like a skyscraper would a cottage.

_Strips you of everything you own._

Gaz took a step back, glaring defiantly at it while Dib shook, like only Dib could. She knew at once that they weren't going to get away from the robot again. Because they never got away. They hadn't the first time and that certainly wasn't going to change now.

_Of which may or may not include your very life._

She saw him get picked up by the large, metallic hands first. And this time it was her screaming out, except infinitely louder and with much more terror.

_And breaks your mind in half._

He struggled, like he always did; a never ending cycle of terror that continued to bounce back and forth between them, feeding off the other's fear and letting their own increase in height. Their screams formed one undeniable ringing bell, making her clamp her hands over her ears, cringing into herself at the peircing noise that she was no longer making (although she swore she could've heard her brother in their somewhere). But she never took her eyes off of her brother's figure. Not even when the ground rose beneath her feet so she could get a proper view. In fact, that detail was barely registered in her mind. It never occurred to her why she shouldn't be forced to watch this.

_To win you must forget everything you know._

This thing that _she_ had caused.

_You must rule your head with nothing except the instinct to survive._

This entire tragedy created out of sheer stubborness and an impulsive urge to flee where danger threatened any and all who entered its domain.

_And even then the odds are against you._

The electrocuting currents ran from every inch of Dib's body, jumping from cell to cell and encircling him. By now she could tell the difference between his screams and the bell that had dropped an octave, turning into an unmistakeable death notice.

_You play for our entertainment._

Finally, things went quiet, everything fading as the robot placed her brother back in front of her . . . his limp, infinitely pale, almost translucent body. And vaguely, so quiet she thought she might've been imagining it, she heard someone's laughter.

_You play for the right, no, the__**privelege**__to live._

Gaz knelt down before him, rolling him onto his back instead of his stomach. She shook his head, shouting out words that seemed to get sucked in and drowned before they could escape her throat.

_If you win, the rewards are worth far more than the loses. Not to mention the glory of succeeding._

Dib's eyes were closed, his glasses creating a reflection from some sun or light she couldn't see. Against the floor, her hands curled into fists, nails somehow digging into rock and creating deep, sharp indents.

_To survive is all you must do to win, but that isn't quite as easy as it sounds._

This was Dib's fate.

_Granted, you'll be given the ideal training. How much you benefit is up to fate and the amount of effort you're willing to put into it._

Her destiny was to be the death of her brother.

_We'll remind your life and, if you're so (un)fortunate as to be with a familiar face, possibly that of someone you care about are on the line should you choose to be lazy or uncooperative._

And to suffer with the knowledge that, had she not run off, she would not be here.

_You will have no privacy, save for your most intimate of moments._

And in all fairness, neither would he.

_Your life, training and background will be broadcasted across the universe, including on your home-planet. Keep that in mind if you're ever saying your last words and didn't quite get to say what you wanted to before we took you away._

"You didn't have to follow me."

She didn't say them. But she didn't feel like she was thinking them either.

_A specific congratulations to you, planet. It seems as though your two participants are from a species we have never heard of._

"You'd be alive if you didn't follow me."

_We'll be keeping that in mind, too, when we make up your training._

"It would just be me here. It would be me on the floor dying, alone, not you. You wouldn't have to suffer with me."

_Hopefully, the odds will be put in your favor._

"But maybe, you never know, I'd win. Even if you die, I might win for the both of us."

It never occurred to her that she was 'speaking' to a corpe. Not really anyways.

_Enjoy yourself . . . . While you can, anyways._

"But not me."

_The Roknik._

Gaz sat upright, immediately aware of the claminess of sleep that lingered on her person.

She groaned, placing her hand against her forehead. That same nightmare. That same _memory_.

A quick reminder that always came with that idea was the fact only the soundless arration of that dream was a memory. A broadcast that had come from a disk they'd found with the bodies of her and her brother, both unconscious without any serious injuries or immediate indications as to how that had happened. It wasn't real.

Not yet anyways.

"_Gaz_!" There was an enthusiastic knock on her door, probably what had woken her in the first place. "_Breakfast_!"

She growled, refusing to respond, turning over in her bed and burrying her head in a pillow in a vain attempt to block out the shouting. However, her harasser was well aware of the effort necessary to wake his little sister up and so he continued shouting and banging on the door without fail until finally, she sat up.

"I'M UP GOD DAMNIT!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, hurtling a pillow violently at the door. "JUST SHUT UP ALREADY!"

And as usual, rather then slinking away dejected, as any _normal_ human being with any sense of well-being whatsoever would do, Dib's simple snickers came back to her through the door. Growling, but admitting defeat, like she did everyday Dib decided to wake her up, Gaz crawled out of bed and began the preparations of hygiene and other various tasks she needed to function for the day.

Because yes, it was a daily hardship to get up in the morning. Or it would be, if the Membrane children had any sanity about them. But what use was sanity if sense drove you to insanity? Hardly a point there, really. After dressing, brushing her teeth and hair, adjusting what little makeup she wore and putting tick marks next to her mental check list, Gaz decided she was suitable and headed towards the door. Her brow rose upon noting the newspaper neatly tacked to it and wondered when exactly Dib had done that. She smirked at the headlines though, taking down the article and reading it as she walked down the hallway.

A personal joke of theirs was their own fame. Odd how the children with what could only be considered a Death Sentence were what everyone was grasping onto, although they might as well, while they could. Gaz didn't think about it much, not even when they were training. Never once did the idea of her demise (or her brother's) cross her mind simply because of the fact it just wasn't possible. Not to her, anyways.

She entered the kitchen, observing her brother try and balance a spun on his nose. For a moment she thought to let him finish but instead she shrugged and proceeded to slam her hand (along with the paper) down on the table, making him jump and the utensil clatter to the floor.

"Gaz!" He complained. "I was really close this time!"

"Like balancing a spoon is really going to help you with anything, Dib," She shot back, sliding it over to him. "What's with the article?"

He snatched it from her, beaming a little. "The press has finally got the details right. Down to the last electrocution."

"Oh?"

"Yes, let me read it."

"No," She snapped, removing it from his hands. "I wanna read it."

"Then why did you slam it down in front of me!" He shouted, flabbergasted.

"Simple," She replied, sitting down and holding the article in front of her face. And only when it blocked her face did she allowed her mouth to curve up into a smirk. "I wanted to knock the spoon off your nose."

For a moment it was quiet.

And then her brother let out a furious, whining, complaining shriek.

"Ga-_az_!" He shouted, stretching her name into two syllables.

She just snickered, holding the newspaper up just a tad bit higher. Dib continued to grumble under his breath, biting the momentarily forgotten toast in the center of the table (that had grown slightly cold) and eating. Today, they were without school, or, well, tutoring really. The Membrane children did not leave the Lab often and when they did, it was only to go home, where they were now. And if they were home, all of the security was on, no acceptions. They had few trips outside, all of them being publicity stunts. The school they attended was private and exclusive, only about fifteen people per class and only 20 classes. Granted, it seemed like a lot, but in comparison to other schools, they were apparently very, very small.

Unfortunately, despite the exclusiveness, Gaz considered very few of the students to actually be tolerable, something not very surprising. But often, save for a handful of people (mostly those he found attractive), he agreed with her on the disliking of their peers.

Technically, by now, Dib should've been out of school. But after what happened . . . well, it took a year for them to recover. And besides, aside from their reputation and fame, they blended perfectly in with teenagers.

Dib hardly looked like a man. There wasn't any hair growth on his face, nor any signs of facial hair coming in. He had stopped growing at 17. And hadn't stopped looking seventeen since two months into his birthday. Gaz, too, had stopped growing, only at 15. She should've been a Senior, but she was Junior instead. She hadn't matured into a womanly body, but that wasn't to say she wasn't attractive. In fact, for a teenager, she might've been every boy's dream, had her attitude not been so frightening. In fact, both Membrane children were oddly attractive. It had unnerved doctors as they ran tests, the primary concern (oddly) how the sudden growth suspension would affect their reproductive organs, something that hardly mattered to either of them. In the end it_seemed_ everything worked, but unless they 'tried it out', so to speak, they would never know for sure.

Gaz almost wished today was a school day, but no. Today she and her brother would be campaigning again; something her father had them do often, something he thought would help distract them, as neither of them had any real hobbies outside of working out and they were both rather anti-social.

This, in fact, was not entirely true.

Dib hadn't _entirely_ lost interest in the paranormal. In fact, his experience and 'election' had only fueled his interest. When questioned about it on one occasion by the ever-vigilant Dwicky (now their permanent counselor), he had simply replied with, "If I'm going to fight them like you say I am, I want to be as prepared as I can be."

Gaz, too, had a hobby. Though, rather than immersing herself in science or intellect, she favored playing games. Specifically, video games. In fact the amount of skill the girl possessed when using any form of technology (whether she'd had previous experience or otherwise) was impressive, if not somewhat unnatural. Not to mention unnerving. A girl her age with her intellect and hacking skills couldn't be trusted, especially when she had nothing to lose. And, also, when all they had couldn't be taken away from them; their lives.

This had been discovered in very unfortunate circumstances. Dib, being the more frail minded of the two, had taken the majority of the year for recovery. If there was ever someone so close as to mentally shattering without actually breaking as Dib was then, heaven help them. It had been one late night a few months after when Dib had crept into his sister's room, held a gun to her head and tried to kill her. She'd woken up to the noise to find her brother screaming his head off and ended up having to restrain him until help arrived. It was then they discovered the bullet, meant for her head, had apparently rebounded off of an invisible shield from the transmitter that had been stuck inside them that hellish day and dropped to the floor. Dib had later revealed he meant to kill both of them, for the better. It took a whole month for him to get over it. Gaz simply brushed the event off, much to Dwicky's discomfort. But she simply insisted it was her fault he was crazy anyways. She could hardly be mad at him for it. Plus Dib had later apologized for his momentary lapse of sanity and, obviously, things had eventually gone back to normal.

Aside from the vigorous, vigourous training sessions.

Yes, these children of 19 and 18, looking only 17 and 15, were the definition of fitness. Ever since the harsh realization from the transmission that they would, ineeded, by forcibly participating in some sort of games, Membrane had devoted all his time (after ruling out the chance at removing the devices from them; it was simply impossible without killing them, which was also impossible) to making advancements in the overall health of the population, using test subjects before administering treatment and only using the elite ones for his children. If they were to compare these two teenagers to the most trained of soilders, the army would find themselves at a surprising disadvantage.

It wasn't enough though. In Membrane's opinion, it would never be enough. Not that he'd ever tell anyone that, no, then they'd doubt his amazing skill and genius.

It was in this quiet kitchen though, with Gaz casually scanning the article and Dib eating his nutricion, that the alarms went off.

And suddenly the kitchen was beeping, flashing red. Both children looked up in surprise, jumping to their feet. Instinctively Dib grabbed his sister and placed himself protectively in front of her, eyes darting around. Both pairs of eyes found a target as a screen started descending from the roof, the lights and alarms shutting off as their father's face appeared.

"Fear not, children," He stated, apologetically. "We're coming to retrieve you now."

"What's going on?" Gaz demanded, shoving her brother aside with suspicious eyes towards her father.

Membrane shook his head. "Nothing, I'm sure, but for precautionary measures, we're sending you-."

"Dad!" Dib snapped, interrupting him. "_What are the alarms for?_"

Their father sighed. "Something has passed into orbit, past the ozone layer, heading towards the surface. We're not _positive_ that it's a spacecraft, but-."

Dib's brow rose as his father stopped, head angling behind him, making the boy turn in time to see his sister's form disappear up the stairs and cried out for her, givng chase. And just like always, she didn't stop or wait for him. Instead Gaz made it to the entrance to the attic, pulling down the step-ladder and darting up. Dib followed easily, having also excelled in a speed much closer to his sister's. But Dib was pushing himself and Gaz probably wasn't even thinking about it. Despite how hard Dib worked, he had a feeling Gaz would always be faster then him.

She ran up and threw the dusty old curtains aside, revealing that the whole town was flashing red. The windows of buildings began to lock down, children and casually walking people outside were suddenly rushed in by owners of nearby houses before the doors, too, were locked. The streets cleared impossibly quickly as the two Membrane children stared in horror, unaware that they were gripping the other's hand or, for the moment, that the other existed. And they watched this until their window, too, slammed shut with what could only be assumed to be steal or iron.

There was a courtesy knock on the door downstairs before it was kicked open, soldiers rushing the attic and gently, politely leading them downstairs and into a sleek van. Around it similar cars with strange, proffesional looking people sat, waiting before the Membrane children were inside before they were escorted down the street.

Inside the car, Gaz finally collected herself, releasing a tired breath before glancing at Dib. Her brow rose as she saw his furrowed, glaring down at his hands as if in intense thought. Something inside her told her not to bother him, some instinct telling her that he required whatever thought he needed, and so she let it be, looking around at the inhabitants of the car instead. With them in the back were two adults, both of them wearing sunglasses, with strangle, irritated-looking eyes stitched into their coats. She recognized it at once, narrowing her eyes.

"You're the Swollen Eyeball," Gaz stated, an edge of distrust creeping into her voice as she flicked her eyes from the label to there faces. "Why would my father send for _you_?"

"We're the closest thing these aliens have to contact," The female replied. "We're specialists for these kinds of situations."

"But not specialists in protection," She challenged, with a growl, catching her brother's attention as he glanced up from his hands, immediately tensing. "So who are you really and where are you taking us?"

The two agents glanced at each other before smirking, looking back at her.

"Very good, Earthian Female." The girl replied, touching a hand to her black sunglasses. In a moment they blinked and her image became scattered before disappearing, remporphing into a creature with a cloak draped entirely over her, hiding everything but her eyes, which were a crystalline red. "Most players don't realize what's going on until they've been succesfully transported. Your planet's defensive system made it awfully easy for us."

Dib was giving them all death-glares, eyes darting between the two of them and the driver up front. "What about our father? He's gonna figure out we're gone."

"Relax," The male insisted, leaning back against the chair comfortably. "We're not taking you off the planet yet, little Earthanoid. We need you stationed here before the interviews start."

Dib's brow rose. "Interviews?"

"Yes," The female continued. "Each player is interviewed on their home planet, a brief background of their planet and what they do here. Just a small taste of their history. Enough to satisfy our viewers, anyways."

"You act like we're just a Reality Show!" Gaz growled, glaring at them. Dib said nothing, considerably calmer than his sibling, though certainly not at ease. "You could've at least given us warning!"

"We _did_," The male replied, boredly, rolling his eyes as if they were being ridiculous by being upset. "We could've easily evaded your detection system, but we didn't. You had ample time to adjust."

"A whole two minutes?" Gaz scoffed. "How very generous of you."

The male tipped his glasses down, glaring at her over the tops of them. She glared harsher as his eyes, also blue, flickered with red a moment.

"You'll find, little human." He said, severely, but in a cool tone that held only sincere warning. "That two minutes is actually quite a generous amount of time in our world."

"You mean in the Game," Dib countered, crossly. The silence was his reply. "Where are you taking us anyways?"

"The broadcasting room." The female answered, adjusting her cloak. "We've set up a station in your city's park to transmit from." Her head inclined towards them, very obviously eying their appearance. Her tone turned displeased. "However, we don't have time to fix you up properly, so your current appearance will have to do."

Gaz bared her teeth at them, leaning forward a bit in her chair. Instinctively Dib placed his hand on her shoulder and pushed her back into her seat, never taking his eyes off of their transporters.

"Someone's gonna notice," Dib instisted, still intent on being in charge. It _was_ his job as a big brother, after all. "A car disappearing will catch someones attention."

"See, the thing about your counter-manuever, to make all cars look the same so that an oustide force can't tell them apart," The woman seemed awfully smug now, turning away from the front window to look at the two of them. "Your people can't tell them apart either."*

Dib's eyes widened and than narrowed. Again, another slightly feral sound came from Gaz as she shrugged off her brother's hand, knowing full well that anything she tried to get out of the car would be pointless anyways. They knew the rules. In fact those rules haunted her at night. Participate or be annihilated, although, they most often had the same grousome fate.

"Where's this room?" Gaz finally intervened, considerably more controlled than she'd previously been. "If we're going outside the Boundary-."

"Enough of your nonsense, human adolescents," The woman snapped, shooting them what could only be imagined as a dark scowl. "We've accounted for everything. You will not be found. Accept this and get over it!"

Gaz shut her mouth, as did her brother and the car was silent. And in this silence, Gaz tried to map out the plane of their city in her head to keep herself distracted.

Currently, they were in the Dome, a mildly see-through material, 10 feet thick and towering well over 70 feet about the tallest of the buildings in their district. The thing was enormous and had taken all the resources available to build, as well as almost the whole living population's manpower to actually bring into existence. In the event of a natural disaster, it would hold well above even the strongest of structures. The thing was simply unbreakable, nor could it collapse on itself. And in the entirely unlikely case that it did, lazers were set up to destroy the falling debri and disintegrate it. The Dome looked like a giant half-circle, covering the Capitol (the center of the cities, where all the political, important figures stayed), which was in the center of all 27 cities. It was the largest thing that existed, as the rest of the city domes were smaller, though still significantly large. The Dome joined together with other cities by a tunnel that was about 12 feet high and made of the same substance as the Dome and the other cities protective one were to leave the Dome, as well as the outer cities, and drive about 100 miles, they would find the Boundary.

The Boundary was a wall, impennetrable and virtually indestructible, built 100 feet high and surrounding the whole of the Empire Estate, which was what all the cities (including the Dome) combined were called together. True, there were other Estates, but none so large or so important as the Empire Estate. It literally ran all other countries, though offically, this was untrue. It was just well-know, unspoken, and normally undiscussed information. And sitting on the edges of these walls, shooting so far into the air it shared breaths with the O-Zone layer, was an invisible force-field that kept everything but the sun's rays from entering the area. One couldn't get it in or not unless they had permission from their Capitol.

And thus thinking of all these things, Gaz couldn't figure out for the life of her a way that these peop- _things'_ plan was going to work. So it seemed she was just going to have to wait and see. The idea made a small, abnormal tingle attempt to tug at the corner of her mouth and push it upward.

The hell _that_ was going to happen.


	3. a pretty name for screw up

_Elite_. His mind snarled, eying the words imprinted into the unnecessarily gaudy trinket. _Elite._

_The__cover-up__word for a__**screw-up**__!_

While dressing, Zim couldn't help but examine himself, as well as his clothes. Ever the 'cocky bastard' (as he'd heard his fellow 'Elite' Tak call him many times, over and over again), he was now taking the time to properly appreciate how he looked.

Offically, that year had been spent entirely in a virtual training room, unaccessible from anyone besides the Tallest themselves and a few higher-ranked Irkens who controlled the thing. The three of them had been through hell for a whole year and obviously, considering how they came out, it had been worth it.

In reality, it was a whole different story.

Training. Years and years of vigorous training, test medications (all of them illegal and not a one of them officially in existence) injected countless times into his skin. An entire year of his life spent unconscious, spent in a tank, so that these remedies could properly seep into his PAK and system. Never once had the three of them complained, Tak being too obedient, Skoodge being too frightened, and Zim being too head-strong to admit discomfort about anything. Although more than once Zim had glanced at his fellow Elite after a particularly trying order had been made to see Skoodge inwardly warring with himself and Tak's mouth form words under her breath that were too foul for the less exposed antenna to hear. Even Zim had winced at a few of the things that had spewed mutely from that she-Irk's lips.

The three of them, after one year of _actually_ training (though it was more for evaluating their natural abilities than anything else), had been locked into a cryotank all over again after going through a few uncomfortable procedures involving needles and sticky, burning gels, and stretching out. Literally. Each of them had grown considerably, the Taller, the Elite. All three of them were still well under the towering height of the Tallest (neither of them wanting to risk the threat of another growth spurt occurring in their later years and being overthrown by screw-ups; if they survived that long, that is) but still towered over their peers nonetheless. That year spent in the tank had made the ultimate soldiers out of them. It had built their squeedily-spooches to become much less weak than the average Irken soldier, made them shoot up like a plant as well as (and Zim couldn't help but smirk at himself once again for this) become quite the attractive trio.

Granted, Irkens weren't a completely sexless race; the army got frustrating and the need for a mate or companion often appeared in the average Irken's spooch*. Most Irkens mated for life, which made things increasingly simple when it came to whose job it was to satisfy another Irken. Mating occurred normally when an Irken had completed their mission and now had nothing to do but hang around the Armada or the occasional party-planet. It was frowned upon for an Irken to have more than one mate, or a mate outside of their rank. Rarely was mating ever about love; Irkens ran purely on sexual appeal, rank, and power when it came to choosing a life partner. Which was why it was popularly believed that when the games were over, Tak would be partnering with either Zim or Skoodge, considering there weren't many choices when it came to someone of her height.

Zim was well aware any Irken would be more than happy to be partnered with a creature like her. Tak was tall, lean, thin, even with the ever-elusive (but fairly desirable) slim curves that defined her body and its pieces. Her eyes were similar to that of Purple's, also a favorable trait among the Irken race. To look like a Tallest was considered extremely lucky. She was smart, attractive, and tall; she'd have plently of suitors if she lived through the games. Although, if that became a problem, she might just be assigned a mate.

Zim scowled, placing a gloveless clawed hand on his chin as he thought, putting on his shirt forgotten for the moment.

He considerably doubted that the Tallest would _assign_ her a partner (which didn't happen much but it'd occurred enough times for it to not be ruled out entirely; mainly it happened when an Irken was being a bit too promiscuous and stirring up trouble), unless Purple or Red chose her for themselves, which he also doubted. That would mean mating with an Elite, which was just a cover-up for the only three Irkens in 1,342 years to get caught by a Megadoomer. So maybe, if he was unlucky enough, Tak would be assigned to _him_.

What was he saying again?

Oh yes, anyone would be lucky to have Tak. But aside from the obvious eye-candy effect that made Tak tolerable, Zim had no appeal whatsoever to the she-Irk he blamed for most of his troubles. And the feeling was mutual. Which left few options for her, since Zim was the only person taller than her who she knew well enough to consider a mate.

Of the three of them, Zim had reacted the most to the secret serum that had made them grow. He claimed (to the disappointment of Skoodge and the annoyance of Tak) that it was because he was destined to be tall. A few inches shorter was Tak and more than a _good_few inches shorter than her, only slightly above average for an Irken, rested Skoodge. The Tallest looked like they wanted to kill him for being so unresponsive to the serum when they'd first seen the three of them after they'd emerged from the tank; like it was his fault his PAK hadn't taken to it. Which it was.

Zim snorted remembering that day, eying his bare self in the mirror once more. The Tallest had literally been there the second their naked selves had broken forth from the tanks, falling on the shattered glass and goo they'd previously been incarcerated in. They'd had a courtesy moments recovery before they were ordered to stand at attention before their Tallest and be examined. And so they'd jumped onto wobbly, unused legs, much longer than any of them remembered being (which was a slight advantage on Skoodge's part, since he had less height to grow accostomed to) and had to salute in their best form while their leaders examined their naked, scratched, slimy green bodies.

Admittedly, Tak probably should've been the most uncomfortable, being carefully looked over and prodded by her leaders of the opposite sex. But if Zim could credit anything to the bane of his existence, it would be her proffesionalism. He remembered well those sharp prods to the ribs, having his arms squeezed to check for muscle density, as well as his thighs. How his chin had been forced to look to the ceiling, though what they were looking at their still remained a mystery to him. The none-too-gentle tug of his antenna, also a lot more sensitive than he remembered, to check how his sensory appendage was working. A few times he let out a hiss, but it was ignored. With that treatment in mind, Zim could only imagine what they did to his comrades, _especially_ Skoodge. He'd never gotten to see anything but that murderous glare from both Tallest before he was snapped at and ordered to stand at attention _properly_, which included staring straight ahead, not peeking at his fellow Elite members.

For a moment, remembering these things, Zim snickered childishly at the fact he was the tallest between the three of them. And he continued snickering as he dressed, covering up the body that so many eyed pleasurably when he passed. Zim was lean, but muscular, possessing more strength in his adolescence than most Commanders did when they'd reached full-fledged adulthood.

And there was nothing he liked more than to remind people this.

"Why are you snickering like that you little twit?"

This and a squeak that followed shortly after made Zim, only half dressed, turn to glance over his bare sholder, slipping his second glove over his hand.

"Don't you two knock?" Zim demanded, an antenna rising in inquiry. True, he _was_ slightly irritated, but since he was well aware both were checking out his toned upper half (Skoodge with depressed envy and Tak with the same appreciation of body** he sometimes gave her), he couldn't be entirely cross with them, so it came out more indifferent than angry.

"That would insinuate we had some form of respect for your privacy. You were taking too long changing, so we came to see if you'd died." Tak replied, plainly, glancing up from his back to look him boredly in the eye. "Unfortunately, it seems you haven't."

Zim snorted, shoving his black undershirt over his head before picking up his shirt with the medal attached to it, the last thing he needed to consider himself properly dressed. "You know full-well that I can't die outside the arena with the Mega's Mark inside me."

Tak smirked vily at him. "One can hope."

With this she smoothed a long, curled antenna down on her head and turned, her slightly longer tunic moving around her hips as she stalked off down the hallway. Zim had adjusted his shirt in time to look up and see that motion and catch the look Skoodge gave after her disappearing figure.

Highly amused laughter came forth from Zim, bringing the smaller Elite's attention to him.

"You like her!" Zim accused, roaring with laughter, not sure if Tak could hear him from down the hallway and not caring. "Pitiful Skoodge, that troublesome she-Irk is not worth your time."

Skoodge's antenna wilted in embarrassment, a defensive look appearing on his face. "Like you don't like her either!"

Zim scoffed, rolling his eyes and rubbing his glove over the 'Elite' medal, shining it properly. "Tak and I are enemies and will always be enemies."

"I see the looks you give her, Zim." Skoodge countered, eyes narrowing at his taller friend. "You like her."

"She's attractive." Zim corrected, deeming himself appropriate in his mirror and walking out past his comrade. "Nothing more. Zim will never like that _disgusting_ little twit."

Skoodge scowled, but said nothing, though it was plainly clear to Zim that he did not believe a word that he'd said. Zim frowned himself, but couldn't think of anything else to say and so let the subject drop. Like he'd thought earlier, Tak would be a good mate. Or, well, a good Irken to mate _with_. However, her companionship was far too undesirable for him to really consider the idea. So if Skoodge wanted that insufferable little minx, he could have her, if she'd have him.

They met up with Tak at the elevator, finding her waiting impatiently with a few guards. Wherever they went, there had to be guards, in case they stumbled across a few Irkens who really couldn't control themselves and tried to start trouble with the Elites. Their popularity differed, depending on who you talked to.

There was no doubt they were attractive, and this _included_ Skoodge, who was less like the god Zim was often compared to and more on the cute, relatable side; a mark she-Irks might actually have a realistic shot at for obtaining as a mate. But this hardly excused them from being the silent disgrace of the Irken race, for getting caught by the Megadoomer at all.

A dark look came to all of them when they thought of it. And when one of them recognized that look on the other, no one made a move to stop that thought, that memory, from reliving itself in their head.

They'd _almost_ made it out, into the safety of Irken hands. Calling the Armada for a rescue had been a good move on Tak's part, since both of their ships had been destroyed and it was better to suck up their pride and get scolded for being _almost_ caught instead of refusing to ask for help and getting Marked. Zim's eyes went to the roof as he leaned against the side of the moving elevator, a small lopsided frown coming to his otherwise smooth green face.

It'd been his fault (though he'd never admit it) that they'd gotten caught. No one but he had ever thought of it that way, but he knew. If it hadn't been for that pause, that slight hesitance in his Irken instinct, he never would've been where he was now.

If he had to put a reason to it, it would be because of that scream.

It was all because she screamed.

_**6 Years Ago**_

That scream.

That ear-shattering scream that tore through his squeedily-spooch and made him, as well as everyone else, completely silent.

"GAZ!" The second human with the fluxuation of antenna on his head shrieked. But even that pained noise didn't compare to how the female's scream had affected Zim.

"Come on!" Tak shouted, tearing Zim's attention away from the girl who was so far out of his reach. "The Armada is here! There's nothing we can do but get out of here!" She pointed to Skoodge. "Grab the boy and let's go! We can't risk another tribute."

Skoodge darted over, ripping the flailing boy from his place in the floor and hauling him over his (at the time) stubby shoulder like he was nothing. Vaguely, Zim wondered how much these humans weighed, but he didn't have much time when Skoodge reached him, tugging on his comrade and trying to make him move as well. But this was a hard task when he was trying to contain a flailing human, who by no means was making his job at rescue easier.

Zim bared his teeth, ripping his small hand from his grasp. "Do not touch me! I am Zim!"

"Come on, Zim, we've got to get out of here!" Skoodge insisted, wilting only slightly at the outburst of his loud friend.

Zim scowled, eyes darting between an increasingly irritated Tak, the boy, Skoodge, and the girl whose name he'd already forgotten in the grasp of the robot, her voice going quiet as she probably lost consciousness. The boy looked on the verge of a system shut-down and was getting paler by the second, his voice dying down too, as if his volume was connected with hers.

"I can save her," Zim stated determinedly to himself, out of everyone's hearing range.

Skoodge peered at him, apparently trying to hear him. "What'd you-?"

"NO!" Tak's voice rang out, eyes shooting upwards.

And then Zim looked up to see the girl being dropped however many feet. The boy cried out again, but it was a wordless jumble now. Just kind of noise. Zim looked down at him to see he'd somehow squirmed from Skoodge's grasp, leapt up into the air, and caught the female, now unconscious.

And it was than the robot turned its attention to the rest of them, red eyes narrowed at all of them. They'd had a moment to try and run when all of them, including the boy (with the girl still in his arms) had been locked into a containment field and sufferred the same treatment the human female had just been subjected to.

**Present**

Zim shivered at the thought of that, the doors sliding open. Tak ignored this entirely, as did the guards, but Skoodge glanced at his friend with mild concern in his wide pink eyes. Irritated by this look, Zim glared at him and the shortest Elite member squeaked, darting out of the elevator after the guards, Tak rolling her eyes and exiting after both of them.

Two dark silhouettes outlined the large screen, alternately used as a window, standing tall and always superior before them.

"_My Tallest_." The three of them said in unison, kneeling respectfully before them, on one knee, head inclined towards the ground.

The sound of their leaders turning made each of them stiffen automatically but otherwise, none of them moved.

"On your feet, Elite," Tallest Red ordered, with only a moment's pause to examine them.

They did as they were told, standing upright to face them. Beside Red, Tallest Purple snickered.

"You rhymed," The more childish leader pointed out mutely to Red, making the Elite's antenna rise inwardly. Though they didn't dare to do this outwardly. The amount of disrespect that would represent would mean immediate execution. Or at least temporary banishment, since they really couldn't do much in terms of disciplinary measures.

They were already playing the Games; what could possibly be worse?

"We've recieved a transmission from the Roknik," Red continued, ignoring his fellow leader.

All three of them showed surprise.

"You mean, they're coming to retrieve us?" Tak pressed.

"So soon?" Zim added, seeming rather confused.

Purple nodded. "Yes. They might've snuck on to get you but obviously, that would mean risking their lives. And the Roknik slaughter others, not themselves."

"They'll be arriving tomorrow," Red continued, turning his back on them. "Until then, you'll be waiting here, with us."

"And it seems," Purple added, "that they've already reached other planets."

Red nodded. "They're doing interviews right now on several of them."

Immediately, they all stilled, shooting each other wary looks before giving the screen their full attention.

There was more than one reason that the Roknik chose to interview their participants. Aside from the audience being able to properly examine the 'cast' of the barbaric show, the players of the game could size up who would potentially be their competition, as well as decide who would be sizable allies. One never knew who would be playing (meaning the species; only the popular players and/or winners, if there were any, every really got names in society) until the interviews were over and done with. After the interviews came the Evaluation, kind of a trailer promoting every player and their strengths. Normally the best looking of the players or the ones that made the largest impression got the longest videos dedicated to them. After the Evaluations aired there was a second interview, the pre-game rules (that never changed, but were reannounced evey year) and then the Games began. It was a long, trying process that only ever succeeded in making everyone, including the audience, all the more anxious.

The Tallest gestured to one of the drones, who nodded and then turned the screen on with a few careful hits of a button. For a moment there was static before the Roknik leader, as unappealing and slimy as he looked last year, appeared on the screen. A low growl errupted instinctively in Zim's throat, but with a glance from the Tallest he was silent, containing his noises by biting his tongue and clenching his fists together.

"We're Live on Blorch now, with Hillyra," A nearby reporter insisted, "Cutting to you now, Hillyra."

"Thanks, Deist." The apparent Hillyra stated, orange irises piercing the screen and making the witnessing Irken's skin crawl. "We've got three tributes from the Slaughtering Rat People with us today; female Myreen, male Dune, and male Peep."

Said Rat children varied in age. Myreen could've been in her late cycle, probably having gone through a few litters of children already. Rat people were highly disgusting, breeding unaturally quickly and then slaughtering their population, even their own kin, when things got out of control. It was survival of the fittest, thus making the Armada glad their kind (that went through significant evolution every ten years or so) had nothing to do with the Irkens at all.

Peep had probably been barely a newborn when he'd been chosen, still looking considerably young. Zim honestly doubted that if he wasn't Marked, he would still be alive. He was a shaky little thing that continually glanced at Myreen, probably his mother, for support.

Dune looked significantly older than both of them, the signs of age showing powdery white on his head and chin. His red eyes were dulled, to the point of being more gray than red. Zim also doubted this creature would be alive without his participation in the Games giving him and the rest of them immunity. Even his teeth, the pride and glory of the Rat people, were a dulled yellow. Possibly even cracking if one were to look carefully, but the idea made Zim too sick to look.

"Pitiful," Red scoffed, over the rest interview. "Don't bother going after these ones. Doubtless the arena will be those things' demise."

"And ignore them if they offer up themselves as allies," Purple added. "If you're going to help anyone, it will be each other. Anyone else would be dead weight. You should be focusing on yourselves, not protecting dead weight."

"Understood," They all replied, nodding.

It took five more minutes of useless talk to switch to the next planet, where a different interviewer was being placed, interviewing some Vortians on Vort. Each of them were male adolescents. The Tallest noted these as potential allies, but only in a moment of desperate need. Next were the Meekrob, which came as quite a surprise, since the race only participated every once in a while. Since their planet migrated, it was always a hassle for the Roknik to go looking for them. The Irkens were honestly surprised they'd bothered to send a robot after them at all. The two of them were girls, although it was hard to tell when it came to the Meekrob. A few other well-known planets came up, varrying in race and number.

Zim was honestly starting to get bored, tuning out and only half listening (a nasty habit of his the Tallest had failed to break so far) when a rather loud shout of surprise on screen caught his attention again, his zoned-out eyes turning a vibrant red once again as they darted back towards the screen.

The most beautiful thing Zim had ever seen appeared on screen, illuminating itself timelessly. His squeedily-spooch tingled and he stiffened, lips parting and eyes widening in obvious lust for the thing.

"Zim!" Tak snapped, "Close your mouth; it's just a damned fire! Stop looking at it like that!"

Immediately Zim did as he was told, though not without shooting her a scowl. When Red cleared his throat they stopped and Zim turned back to attention, trying to calm himself down when looking at such an impressive display.

"Everything alright over there, Lyca?" Deist -Zim thought- said with concealed nervousness.

The screen on her end was static a moment before a cloaked Roknik, with uncommon ice blue eyes, peered through modestly. "Everything's fine. Although, it seems we've got a bit more spunk in these tributes than we initially thought. Switching to hover-view to give you all out there a better look."

Zim bit his lip to keep drool from coming from his mouth as an ariel view of the planet region appeared, an impressive but small amount of it ablaze. On the edges of it, two figures could be seen, both of them racing back towards bubble-like structures but not seeming to cover much ground.

"We've got runners!" Someone laughed, a male Roknik presumably. "Team 4's on retrieval right now. We'll let 'em tire out a little before picking them up."

"Care to tell us how this started?" Deist pressed, genuinely curious.

"We're playing with a new race, here," the female said casually, not particularly concerned as they voice-overed on top of the footage, which was gradually getting closer to the figures running away from the flames. "The little female turned the species' own means of transportation into a bomb. As soon as she got out of the car she grabbed her blood-kin and slipped underneath the vehicle. Next thing we know, they're running for their lives and the things burst into flame." She held up a hand, laughing at an already mostly-gone scar. "Got a few nice scratches from the debri shooting everywhere, too."

Zim pealed his eyes away from the beauty of it all to note the faces of the Tallest, trying to gouge a reaction from them. Purple's eyes were wide with curiosity and slight awe, antennae up and twitching slightly. On the other hand, if Red was anything, he was probably more intrigued than anything else. Otherwise, he was bored and just waiting to find out what was going on.

Finally whatever hovercraft crew was in charge of retrieval caught up to the kids, who spun on their heals in defensive positions.

They were odd-looking creatures, one of them with a black, furry horn on his head and another with a waterfall of magenta draping to the floor, long tendrils of what may or may not have been hair swirling around what might've been her hips, but the way the hovercraft was moving, he only caught a glimpse of them. His brow rose. Certainly he'd never seen _these_ oddly pale creatures before. The two runners stopped, backing up a few feet. And Zim couldn't take his eyes off of them, slightly curious as to what they would do next.

Suddenly, one of the creatures shot out a small pale appendage, their hand, nailing one of the camera-men in the face. Their camera was sent knocking to the floor as someone grunted and a hand covered the camera, picking it back up to refocus, although there was now a noticeable crack up in the corner of the screen. Immediately after the footage switched back to Deist, who looked more than composed enough.

"Well," He laughed, running a hand through the marble the Roknik called a head. "That certainly was unexpected."

"Guess we'll have to catch up to those two again when they've been _properly_ subdued." Another reporter agreed, a hint of a vile smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Zim scowled. Everyone knew what _that_ insinuated; if a Retrieval team failed to succeed in the orderly abduction of any player(s), they were subtly executed, without anyone realizing what had happened. He honestly doubted anyone on that planet- whatever it was, as if hadn't been announced yet- would be seen again, save for the tributes, who'd probably only succeeded in making things a lot worse for themselves.

Purple couldn't surpress his laughter, "Foolish race. They'll probably end up getting themselves killed for their trouble."

Immediately Red turned and shot them warning looks. "I trust you'll handle yourselves better?"

They all saluted, "Yes, sir!"

Red's eyes narrowed at them all, focusing on each of their faces one by one before turning away.

"Good," He stated, turning away from them. "Very good . . ."

As the interviews concluded, a beep went off one of the nearby drone's computer, making everyones eyes shift to him.

"Sir," He stated, swivelling in his chair to face them. "The Roknik are hailing us."

For a moment, the room was quiet.

Red lifted his chin, turning to glance at his tributes, each of them still standing at attention, now with their hands at their sides. Between the three of them, they made quite the impression. Not that he'd ever tell _them_ that, though. The only way he'd praise them was if they survived, of course.

"Very well," Purple said, intervening when his partner paused too long. "Send them up."


	4. An undisguised threat

The feeling of the room settling encouraged her to open her eyes.

Not that she realized she'd closed them in the first place.

Vaguely, Gaz remembered punching something in the face. She also then remembered something clamping down firmly on her forearms, most likely hands, shortly followed by the sound of her brother's own strugglings. However before she could turn around a sharp pain exploded across her head and she was out and waking up . . . wherever she was right now.

An unwelcome groan rushed from her lips as her head pounded, right where the original pain that had thrown her unconscious started. She hissed in irritation, tenderly touching the spot and letting out a few more unhappy noises. Only when an unwelcome chuckle mingled in with her noisese did she stiffen, head snapping up to locate the figure laughing at her.

A woman sat in the chair, illuminated by a window behind her. Otherwise the room was a bit too dark, even for Gaz's tastes. Instinctively her eyes narrowed, body tensing to spring away at any minute.

"Ah, Ms. Membrane," The strange woman chuckled, removing her feet from the table and sitting properly. "Glad you finally chose to join us."

_Us?_ Her brows furrowed, eyes darting around to find the other parties present in the room.

Once again the woman's chuckling interrupted her. "My apologies, it _is_ just me here. I'm just used to having an audience is all, dear. We really are alone."

Warily, Gaz continued looking before dubbing this true and turning an intimidating eye back towards the stranger. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"Not a very polite species, are you?" The woman replied, shrugging. "Very well. I'm Mistress Ivory."

Her brow rose. Well, it wasn't an _entirely_ uncommon name. It was relatively humanoid enough but than again, why had she expected it to be? For all she knew, this shadowed woman looked nothing like a human with the lights on. Another glance around proved rather worthless, for the most part, until Gaz made an observation. Something was missing. Or, rather, some_one_.

"Where's my brother?" She demanded, immediately on edge. If Dib had gotten hurt because of _her_ stupid idea-!

The woman waved off her concern with a casual swipe of her hand through the air. "Your blood-mate is fine. He's already been housed in a room and debriefed on the general rules here. Actually, by now, your team should be with them."

"My team?"

"You sure ask an awful lot of questions, little female."

"I am _not_ little." Gaz snapped, automatically. "And it's hardly _my_ fault that I don't know what's going on here."

She laughed and nodded, standing up. Immediately Gaz was on the defensive, baring her teeth and tensing as she sat on the floor. Mistress Ivory only chuckled more, moving to a table behind the desk and pouring red liquid from an unnoticed pitcher into equally unnoticed glasses. Taking both in hand, she walked over to where Gaz was, still sitting on the floor (rather pitiful, now that she thought about it) and handing her a glass.

When Gaz refused to accept it, choosing to glare at it and then the shadowed woman instead, gleaming white teeth appeared in the darkness.

"Drink it," She insisted, "It's hardly poisonous. Besides, even if I _did_ want to kill you, I can't. The Marked can only be eliminated in the Arena."

Still, the teenager refused to even take it off of the woman's hands. It was only when Ivory begrudgingly took a rather large sip of her own drink that Gaz finally took the glass in her hands and sipped a small portion of it. Immediately upon contact with her tongue she brought it away from her mouth, nearly spilling all of it as she coughed.

Ivory seemed curious. "Bitter?"

"Too_sweet_!" Gaz coughed out, seeming disgusted as she eyed the contents of the cup. "What is this crap?"

"Ahlixir." Ivory replied, sitting on her legs in a delicate fashion. "My apologies. I was under the impression your kind enjoyed sweets."

"Not _that_ sweet." Gaz replied, setting the glass on the floor in front of her. "And I've never been one for sugar anyways."

"Oh?" Ivory seemed genuinely interested, thoughtful even, for a moment. Then she nodded, setting her own cup down. "Well, I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Honestly, I've never been much for the taste anyways either, but it's rude to make someone else drink without doing so yourself."

"Yes, well, I've never been someone particularly concerned about being polite," Gaz countered, instinctually mocking the rather articulate dialect of her host.

The woman smirked. "So I've noticed."

Gaz glared at her again. "Why am I here, anyways? I can't seem to bring myself to belive you just needed someone here to try to poison with sugary substances."

"Oh, yes," She nodded, an aura of superiority eminating from her once again that Gaz instantly detested. "I supposed that, being a new species and so ill-informed of what trials await you, I should give you a fair warning."

Gaz rolled her eyes, leaning back on her hands and becoming uninterested. "Thanks for the heads up and all, but, I already know what to expect. I'm gonna die, big deal."

"Not necessarily," Ivory corrected, picking her glass back up, for lack of anything better to do with her hands. "You'd be surprised how easy it is to win, Miss Membrane. Especially someone of your . . ._stature_."

A slower human would've had trouble picking up the inuendo. But at the tone of her voice and the rather quick flick of her eyes on Gaz's body, the girl immediately knew what she was talking about. And she didn't appreciate the unwelcome notice of her appearance at all.

"I don't need advice on how to get myself killed slower, _thank you very much_." Gaz hissed, fingers digging into the carpet she was sitting on. She was sure her nails were leaving a pemanent scar in the plush material and she honestly couldn't bring herself to give a damn.

Ivory sighed, impatiently. "Not get yourself killed, Gaz. _Survive_. Maybe even succeed, if you play your part well enough." Suddenly her eyes were serious, a chilling gaze focusing on Gaz and holding the younger's eyes captive with her own. "That little stunt you pulled with the car, for example, definitely isn't how you're going to get on our good side."

"I don't_want_ to be on your good side!" Gaz shouted, genuinely irritated now. "I don't want your help, nor do I need it! I'm perfectly fine with dying, but I absolutely _refuse_ to be of anyone's entertainment!"

"What a pity, then." Ivory mused, looking at her drink and stirring it gently with a small motion of her hand. "And I was under the impression you'd do anything to help your brother . . . Mm, I guess you'll just have to watch him die, now won't you? Tell me Gaz," another glance upwards made her freeze. Damn those eyes. "How prepared are you to watch Dib die?"

Gaz stiffened. It felt like the wind had been knocked out of her. Images of all of her nightmares came flooding back to her, the creatively imagined screams echoing in her ears like a symphony of her personal Hell. Seeing this stricken expression on her face brought a satisfied expression to Ivory's.

"Not as prepared as you thought you were, are you?" She mused, putting her glass down again.

Gaz looked at the floor, refusing to let her eyes hold her captive again. "I'm listening."

"There's a good girl," Ivory said, picking up both glasses from the floor and placing them on the desk with the pitcher. "Now, have a seat across from my desk, if you will. I doubt you're particularly comfortable and this kind of talk should not be had on the floor."

Reluctantly, Gaz did as she was told. She stood up, noting the slight wobbliness of her legs before she gracelessly plopped into the chair across from Ivory's desk. Said owner slid into her chair much smoother than Gaz had, as if antagonizing her by showing how much better she could sit down. It was a stupid, childish notion but Gaz refused to put it past her to do so. Upon seeing the girl's waiting (but far from patient) gaze, Ivory folded her hands in a very business-like attitude and spoke.

"Now let me first explain the rules here; we do not allow rebellions. Period. You came very close to immediate annihilation by that stunt you pulled. It was only through _my_ influence that we chose to keep you alive at all. So if you _or_ your brother so much as _look_ like you're stepping out of line, it'll be your heads. Understand?"

A simple nod sufficed for an answer and she continued.

"Let me tell you something, Miss Membrane; The Games is a popularity show. Whoever these people like the most, or whoever stirs up the most ratings, the 'crowd favorite' if you will, stays alive the longest. The best win. Once you become uninteresting, you're eliminated. Oh, of course, it seems like you simply failed at surviving the Arena but we know better. The Arena was designed to target select people, should they prove themselves useless. While I wouldn't recommend trying it again, your stunt _did_ peak the crowds' interest. You and your sibling have that on your side, one of the reasons you were allowed to live. For the time being, anyways. In fact, congradulations are in order. The audience barely saw you and you're already their second favorite. Aside from those Irken kids and that Meekrob girl, you two are the top picks for trailer-time.

"However," She added, severely. "Your little stunt got quite a few people killed of incompetancy. So don't. Do it. Again."

Again, another nod. "I won't."

"I didn't think so. You don't seem like the type to do something stupid for the sake of being a nuisance."

"I try," She replied, sarcastically. At Ivory's gaze though, she sighed and muttered, "Sorry. Habit."

"One you might want to break," Ivory suggested. Then she frowned, thoughtfully. "No, well, I suppose not. The audience likes that kind of attitude when it comes to players. I suppose with your brother around, the audience won't see you as _too_ heartless . . . just shy maybe. Well, that certainly gives you something to think about-."

"Wait a second," Gaz insisted, holding her hands up. "I thought this was a fight to the death, not a reality show."

"If you want to be technical, I suppose it's both," Ivory admitted, smirking. "Now, I haven't got a lot of time to explain- you really _were_ out for a long time, dear- so I'll cut to the chase. You'll be meeting with teams of people, made from the prime of your species, as well as our own trainers, to help you in various categories. You'd be correct in assuming fighting and survival techniques would be the center of these practices. However, you'll also be taught in poise, as well as having your appearance changed. You'll have your own stylist, as will your brother and every other contestant here.

"A word of advice, child," Ivory once again eyed her severely. "Do whatever those people tell you to. Fighting will only get you so far. _Those_ trainers are the ones that _truly_ keep you alive. How are you doing so far on comprehension?"

"I understand." Gaz admitted, glaring harshly at the floor. "So . . . I'll be training with my brother then, or no?"

"You'll see him," Ivory assured her. "But no, you won't train with him. We separate genders here. Despite the whole 'genders are equal' wave going around, we're really not when it comes to phsyical strength. Like yours, the majority of the 'alien' races also have stronger males. It's not fair, but it's true and we Rokniks recognize truth for what it is and deal with it. With jobs like ours, you have to, really."

A knock on the door interrupted them.

"_Mistress Ivory_?" Someone called through it. "_We've come to collect the girl_."

"Well," Mistress Ivory stood up, completely proffessional. "It seems we are out of time. I trust you'll take my advice into account for your further actions?"

"I will," Gaz replied, every bit as stoic, standing up and heading toward the doors, glad she'd regained full control of her body ny now, stepping gracefully. She heard an approving, quiet noise from Mistress Ivory, probably watching her from behind. She resisted her violent urges, forcing herself to keep her composure.

That didn't stop her from_thinking_ of doing every cruel and unusual thing she could to the woman behind her.

Upon opening the door, her smirk evaporated at the sight before her.

"You see," Ivory said, appearing at Gaz's side. "_This_ is what happens when we do stupid things here at the Base; we get guns pointed at us."

Indeed, quite a few guns were currently pointed at Gaz, each weilded by a guard watching her every tick. Testing this, she shifted a step to the left and like a motion detector, all of their aim shifted to her again.

"They're well trained," She commented dryly, not particularly concerned that her life was in danger.

"Thank you." Ivory replied, as if it really was a compliment. She touched a hand to the small of Gaz's back, nearly making the girl recoil. She stiffened but did not move and her 'mentor' didn't particularly seem to care that her self-appointed charge was uncomfortable. "Now come along. We've got a family reunion to tape, now don't we?"

Gaz was genuinely surprised this time. It came out as apprehensive. "We're already starting the Games?"

"Oh no dear, not yet," Mistress Ivory assured her as they walked forward. Not a gun was trained at Ivory, somehow. They were all pointed at Gaz. "The Games aren't _just_ in the arena. They're everything you do. I was under the impression you understood that."

Irritated at being embarrassed, Gaz grit her teeth and said nothing, clenching and unclenching her hands as she imagined punching someone. She hoped that, wherever he was, Dib was prepared to calm her down. He was one of several people who had the ability to make her relax, or at the very least gain some outward control over herself.

They walked through several hallways, each of them prestine and patrolled. Gaz had to hand it to these people; they definitely knew how to decorate.

"You'll be on the lower floors for training, rooms, food, and anything else. The only time you'll come up is if you're in trouble or we're leaving the property, like when we take you to get proffesional interviews or taken to some other public event." Ivory explained as they walked into an elevator. They were large, almost too big for Gaz's comfort, so it was no problem for the guards to follow them inside, their guns still trained on her petite finger.

She eyed them with irritation. "Are they going to stop anytime soon?"

"As soon as you've been admitted with a bracelet, yes, they will." Ivory replied, plainly, as if this explained everything.

Gaz sighed, resisting the urge to ask. She had a feeling she'd find out soon enough anyways. So after several more hallways and a pass-coded door (said necessary code entered by Misstress Ivory), Gaz found herself in a ginormous dome of a room.

It was a dark salmon, literred with so many intricately patterned wires they looked almost liked vines, circling around the top in a target formation, barely seen unless you were looking. A moment of staring later she discovered every few seconds, light shot up every one of them, twisting until disappearing in a small flash in the center. She continued staring, pushed forward casually by Mistress Ivory's hand.

"Gaz!"

She let her head descend from the ceiling just in time to see her brother throw his arms around her, nearly knocking her off of her feet. She heard the gun's click in place but at an almost unheard murmur from her mentor, she saw the guns lower from over Dib's shoulder. Seeing their safety assured she turned her attention back to the boy currently holding her fairly tightly, far too close for comfort.

"Ugh, Dib!" Gaz complained, refusing to return the hug. "Get off! You know I don't like being touched!"

"Someone's cranky," He replied with a grin, complying and releasing his grip on her. "I was worried about you! Everyone else here got separated but reuinted after they changed. I thought something bad happened to you cause of-!"

And he was silent, suddenly aware of the guards surrounding them, their guns casually aimed at the floor. But both could tell by the firm, less than casual grip they had on their weapons they were waiting for the slightest inkling of a threat.

And Gaz couldn't help but smirk at his expression of awe. "I made new friends."

"I can see that," Dib replied warily, giving her a serious look. "Are you okay?"

"Don't worry, Earthling," Misstress Ivory said, cutting into the conversation with a warm and somehow sadistically amused smile. "Your sister and I just had a small talk about behavior and rules. Something I'm sure she'll fill you in on later."

"Uh, I don't mean to be rude but, who are you?" Dib questioned, glancing at Ivory with slight curiosity.

This time, Gaz answered, "My mentor; Mistress Ivory."

Ivory smirked. "I'm here to help your sister, since she seems to need a little bit of an extra helping hand on how we do things here. I'm sure you'll be receiving your own since you seem to need one as well. I believe your father as well as a few other people are coming to aid both of you. They'll arrive shortly before your training begins."

Warily, Dib glanced between the two intimdating females, nodded and took a slightly protective stance beside his sister.

"Wait," Gaz's brow rose as something registered. "'Everyone else'? You've been mingling?"

Dib smiled, glad of the pressure alleviated. "I made some friends of my own. Well, potential allies. The other tributes that have already arrived are actually pretty friendly. Well, most of them anyways. There's a few who aren't leaving their rooms yet and talking to their own mentors, but, I mean, they all speak English. Or a rough version of it at least. Come on, I'll introduce you!"

As Dib latched onto his sister's wrist, they were stopped from leaving the circle by Ivory's hand rising, signalling the guns to take aim. Immediately they froze.

"Sorry to startle you," She said, apologetically. "But your sister has to get tagged before she can go anywhere."

Gaz hissed, fury flashing in her eyes. "You make it sound like I'm a dog."

"You brought this upon yourself," Ivory said simply, ushering for some unknown figure to come towards them. "You'll also need to change clothes soon, so enjoy your own ensembles while you can. You'll be led into another room for your clothes."

It was then Gaz took note that her brother wasn't wearing what he'd worn the last time she saw him (which was when, exactly?). He now dawned a gray shirt, with a belt strapped from his shoulder to his waist, the only brown thing in sight. Over this he dawned a trench coat, the collar popped a bit in a spike. Black pants and boots finished the ensemble. Admittedly, the girls at their old school were pretty fond of Dib. In this outfit, they'd probably be all over him.

"You look ridiculous," She stated boredly, scowling and looking up at Mistress Ivory. "Am I going to be wearing something similar?"

"I wouldn't know yet," The woman answered smugly, probably purposefully keeping Gaz's ensemble information from her. "You'll just have to go see, now won't you?"

Gaz growled, hands balling into fists. Seeing his sister's irritation, Dib quickly intervened.

"Come on Gaz, let's go look at it, okay?" Dib encouraged, gently leading her away from the center of the procession, shooting a look Gaz couldn't see over his shoulder.

She crossed her arms tightly across her chest as she calmed herself, inhaling deeply and breathing out just as evenly until she felt better. And by this time they were behind a curtain, where she was met with a rather surprising sight. One so shocking she stopped in her tracks, blinking slowly as she studied the figure.

"Yeah, I know," Dib muttered to her. "I don't know how they got him here, but they did."

Before them was not someone they knew, nor someone they were even familiar with. But everyone knew _of_ him on Earth, even if they disregarded the potential importance of him, being people with more important things to worry about then fashion. Even Gaz, a rather pretty girl, had no interest in this man whatsoever.

However, it seemed they should've probably put a little more effort into learning about him, now that he stood before them.

A man turned, a dragon tattoo on his forearm that had too much simple design to be anything but a family emblem, turned to look at them, ceasing talking to the woman before him. He eyed Gaz immediately, smirking a little when she continued to glare at him. When things didn't make sense to Gaz, she became defensive.

It was better safe then sorry.

"You must be Gaz," He stated, politely, the sincerity in his smile creeping into his voice.

"You must be out of your mind," She replied back, plainly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Ah, you'll have to excuse my sister!" Dib cut in, apologetically. "She doesn't get along well with strangers."

The man waved it off, as if her rudeness was something he was accustomed to. "Ah, no matter. It's a valid question. What's a designer doing on a space-ship in the middle of nowhere? Well, actually, somewhere in the solar system but still, you get the point. I'm Hanzhi, by the way. Nice to meet you, Gaz. As you can see, I've already met your brother."

Her anger melted to boredom, seeing this man was no threat to her. "You're going to dress me up in a ridiculous outfit too, then."

"I'm here to help you make an impression," Hanzhi corrected, motioning for the woman to get get something. "You'll get nowhere in these Games without me dressing you. Don't worry though, I'm not about to make you all run around naked. I'm all for 'more is more', not 'less is more'. Flashiness will be our last resort."

Gaz huffed, saying nothing at the use of 'our'. Like they were a team or something. Like _he_ would be risking his life out there with her and her brother. The woman then handed Hanzhi a clothing bag, which he accepted with a 'thank you' before turning to Gaz.

"You can change in there," He said, jerking his head towards a cloesd off room. "If you need any help or have any problems, Zita can come in there and help you."

Gaz nodded, eying the bag with disdain before entering the dressing room and shutting the door behind her. For a moment she debated trying to set the bag on fire before reminding herself of the possible consequences of this and sighing, opening the bag with a downward tug of the zipper. Her brow rose.

The outfit was entirely different, including underwear, black, without straps on the bra. She felt the underwear in her hands, frowning at the strange material, glancing at the rest of it. Her brow rose, removing the hanger and examining it.

Meanwhile, outside, Dib shifted on his feet impatiently, waiting for the shouting when Gaz put whatever it was on. It wasn't that he knew what to expect, not having been allowed to see his sister's ensemble, but, knowing Gaz, she'd find_something_ to make a fuss about. In his fidgeting his arm brushed up against his bracelet and froze, making a face.

If she was mad about the outfit, he could only imagine what would happen when she got collared.

Dib allowed himself to snap out of his thoughts when the curtain shifted and he peaked over to see his sister's shadow emerging. He watched Hanzhi and Zita pause from what looked like sketching more outfits, quietly discussing things in the corner, to look up at his sister.

Gaz wore a black dress, simple enough, that cinched at her waist and curled out in a spread but not quite poofy skirt. It might've looked a bit too revealing had she not had what seemed to be pink tights made of metal. Instead of sleeves, she had metal on her arms as well, except these were gray. She had her hair curled over one shoulder, fingering the long tresses in her hand uncomfortably.

At Dib's gawking, her eyes narrowed, regaining her confidence.

"Stop looking at me like that," She snapped, severely. "It's not _that_ weird-looking."

"Thank you," Hanzhi said again, smiling. "I tried to go for a space look and figured metal tights and sleeves were just out there enough."

Gaz's brow rose, moving her hair aside, letting Dib catch sight of a white necklace he had previously not noticed. "And the skull?"

He smirked. "You'll find out its _real_ use later, but for now, it's just a great accessory."

"Mm," She replied, fingering the shiny, harsh object resting on her collarbone, wondering what secrets could be hidden in a goth-looking trinket. Gaz had never been goth, or anything really, but she'd often heard she would be able to pull it off. And considering what Hanzhi must have based her look off of, he must've agreed.

Applause caught everyone's attention, making Gaz's eyes narrow automatically and Dib jump a little.

Mistress Ivory walked in, the one clapping her hands slowly, dramatically. Dib's eyes shifted over to Hanzhi, noticing the man stiffen like a soilder. His gaze turned curious. What reaction was _this_?

"Ah, very nice indeed, sir." She said admiringly, making Gaz's lip curl as she stood straight, obviously reluctantly allowing the woman to eye her. When she'd finished circling both her and her brother, Ivory smiled at Hanzhi. "You have my compliments. They go together perfectly."

"Thank you," Hanzhi replied, nodding his head at her politely.

Ivory turned back to Gaz, sternly. "Give me your wrist."

Reluctantly, Gaz did. Immediately she hissed as Ivory slapped down a metallic bracelet on it, making Gaz recoil immediately to find it latched.

"There," The woman stated. "You are now free to roam about."

Gaz glared at her before examining the bracelet, seeing her name etched into it in strange lettering, though not unreadable. Just some parts of the letters weren't attached together, insinuating them rather then writing them. The numbers 3-17-11 were etched at the top and below her name, in small lettering, was 'Earth'.

The sound of her heals disappearing made Gaz look up to see the guards following Ivory's retreating figure.

"I hate her." Gaz growled under her breath.

Dib patted her shoulder comfortingly, smiling and taking her wrist.

"Come on," He insisted. "Dad is running around here _somewhere_ talking to all the mentor's. Let's see if we can find him, eh?"


	5. Communication for the socially inadequat

"I can't read it," Dib stated, awed.

Mooshy scowled, making a face of considerably contemplation.

"Wow." Dylit(1) said, wide, crystalline eyes flashing with surprise. Gaz found it hard to look at her when the light hit her, the crystal her body was made up of reflecting it and making a harsh, unwanted glare. "You're the first species I know of that can't read the Intergalactic Language."

"Thanks," Gaz muttered, looking out the giant windows in the auditorium to see the stars outside. She wasn't particularly sentimental to the night sky and its wonders like her brother was, but watching the lights float by was more entertaining then listening to her brother make friends.

"Oh," Dylit looked down, shyly, her crystal gaining a pink hue, like someone was shining a red light through her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."

"We're not offended," Dib assured her. "Gaz just has a voice that always sounds mean. She's touchy, but not _that_ unfriendly."

"I'm right here!" She snapped, shooting her brother a warning look. When he grinned at her she simply rolled her eyes, unable to suppress the smirk tugging gently at the corners of her mouth.

Dib took advantage of this muscle reaction, pointing an accusatory finger at his sibling. "See? She even smiles!"

The smirk disappeared and Gaz hissed at him, "Knock it off, Dib."

"Aw," Dib replied cheekily, making Gaz's tense instinctively. "Does someone need a hug?"

Gaz was immediately frozen, eyes wide. "Don't you da-!"

She was tackled before she could finish her protest, knocked down on the bench with her brother encasing her in a tight embrace. He was cooing words of brotherly love and it made Gaz's blood boil, not to mention poke at her gag reflex. The surrounding crowd was laughing in amusement, a group made of the 2 Plookesians, Mooshy and Spootsy; the single Crystalline girl, Dylit and her companion Moop, a gray creature with blue eyes and antennae-like hair that looked like a slug. From what Dib had gathered, their species apparently co-existed on their planet. There was also Tyler and Moop. Tyler reminded the Membrane children of an overgrown praying mantis and Tup, too, looked like a genetically altered bug. A fly, to be exact, but surprisingly their species had no contact whatsoever with one another. Of course, there were other species roaming about, but Gaz only caught glimpses of them and Dib had only made friends with the people around them.

"Dib!" She shouted, struggling in his grasp. "Get off of me _now_!"

"Not until you hug me!"

"**Attention all tributes**!" A voice over the intercom said, startling them. "**Please make your way to Auditorium for debriefing!"**

Seeing her brother distracted and his grip slacken slightly, Gaz took advantage of the situation.

With another shriek of fury Gaz jerked her knee up, harshly, nailing Dib in the ribs. He cried out, letting go and whimpering at his wounds, causing the laughter to increase as he groaned and Gaz stood up, brushing her dress of and making sure her hair was properly arranged. She kicked Dib once more for good measure and the laughter continued, knowing that Dib was just being a wimp by the fact he wasn't seriously asking for help.

"O-_ow_!" Dib complained. "Geez, Gaz, you didn't need to hit me so _hard_!"

"You know I don't like being touched," She replied calmly, dusting off her arms, like she could get rid of his hug with enough bathing.

"_Make way worthless creatures! Irkens coming through_!"

"_Bow down to your future conquerors!_"

Everyone in the area stopped laughing and Dib's complaints became silent as Gaz helped him sit up, a brow raised as the noise echoed to them from down the hallway. Dib opened his mouth to ask a question of their comrades but paused, seeing everyone's once friendly, mirth-filled eyes filled with an unmistakeable loathing.

_Irkens_, Gaz thought, looking down in contemplation. _Why did that name sound vaguely familiar?_

"Who are the Irkens?" Dib asked the party, voicing her thoughts.

"The most vile, _disgusting_creatures the universe has to offer." It was Dylit who answer, the venom in her voice unmistakable.

Gaz's brow rose, intrigued now, sitting down next to her injured brother on the bench. "What'd they do?"

This time Tyler replied, glancing at Moop warily, who looked like he was shaking. "They invade planets all over the universe that they consider useful, just to have the most power and be able to throw it in everyone else's face."

"What do they do to the ones that aren't useful?" Dib questioned, oblivious to Moop's sensitivity.

"They destroy them." Mooshy whispered quietly.

And then suddenly Moop's head fell in his hands and he sounded like he was crying. Beside him, Dylit consoled him, making strange cooing noises that Gaz guessed were the alien form of condolence.

"What's with him?" Gaz asked Smootsy, quietly. Dib leaned towards them, also apparently interested in the reply.

Smootsy looked sad and slightly uncomfortable, but explained. "His home planet got attached a little while ago. Dylit's family and him were part of the group that was able to relocate, but that was only about half the planet."

"He misses his home that much?"

"Moop's family didn't make it."

Dib's face dropped and understanding filtered into Gaz's eyes.

"Oh," Dib said quietly, and then he too became quietly sad.

Gaz's curiosity rose at Moop's apparent fear of the creatures making a spectacle of themselves as they slowly got closer, making no move to quiet themselves. There were several voices, some of them quieter then others. She thought she heard a feminine voice in there somewhere, but considering she knew nothing about the Irken species, Gaz couldn't know for sure if these things even _had_ gender.

"Just ignore them," Tyler insisted to their group, turning his back and waving carelessly. "We've got the Games to worry about, not_those_ jerks."

"They're _part_ of the game, Tyler." Dylit shot back, irritated. "The moment they get a chance to, the Irkens will kill us to snuff out the competition, for no reason besides being the only species that wins."

"Who says they'll win?" Gaz countered indifferently, remembering Ivory's words. Surprisingly, they were coming in handy. "If the crowd doesn't like them- and they won't if they're really as big of assholes as you say they are- they'll get eliminated."

Everyone was giving her confused looks.

Tup looked confused. Or, as confused as a bug-thing could look.

"What's an 'asshole'?"

Dib's face contorted into a mixture of reluctance and embarrassment. "Uh-."

"What are you talking about, Gaz?" Dylit asked, interrupting Dib's explanation and saving him from trying to explain the word, since he clearly did not want to. In her arms she still cradled Moop, who had calmed to sniffling.

She seemed surprised. So no one knew what _really_went on in the Games? That it was just a popularity contest that kept them alive? Before she could stop herself she blurted out. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?"

A shriek of fury broke their conversation, and a slam caught everyone's attention. There was shouting and gruff, pained noises; someone was fighting.

Before they even knew what they were doing, those around the area raced to the next room, slowly forming a ring around the two people fighting, making it easy for the guards to locate the tussle but difficult to do anything about it.

Two figures, one gray and one green, were wrestling violently on the floor. Anytime anyone caught a glimpse of them they were moving again, a vicious tussle, filled with Gaz could only assume were curse words and threats. Dib blinked in surprise, a chill running through his spine as he realized that if it came down to it, this was what they would be up against in a fight. They were quick, and strong by the way they were making small dents in the floor and walls from where punches had missed. Again, no one could really get a good look at what species was fighting.

Gaz saw something move from the corner of her eye and for a moment, she thought it was the guards. But as two figures cloaked in the shadows of the nearby scenery, one with striking violet eyes (that glared daggers at the crowd) and the other with bright pink ones (that seemed somehow nervous looking at the tussle), disappeared into the meeting room, Gaz couldn't help but wonder who they were.

Finally the guards broke through, separating the tusslers.

It was very clear who had won _that_ fight.

And while Dib simply stared, both impressed and frightened by the battle-scars, Gaz felt a wave of familiarity overcome her that she couldn't place. Because as much as Dib remembered that incident, he didn't remember much of it. But as Gaz had nightmares about it often, she couldn't _forget_ much of it. Despite that fact, it_had_ been quite a few years and her memory was fuzzy, leaving her brain reeling with irritation as she tried to remember that face before her.

They were both restrained, held by two guards each, the remaining Roknik training guns at them.

"Touch me again you DISGUSTING Vortain and these pitiful stink-beasts won't be able to save you next time!" The green one shrieked, jerking and flailing violently, attempting to lunge towards the gray thing (apparently a Vortian) with fury flashing in its red eyes.

The Vortian was badly beaten, what Gaz could only assume was blood (though it was blue . . . then again this _was_ space) trickling from his mouth. A horn, one of two on his head, was cracked, bent at an angle that did not look natural, even to her, who had never seen one in-tact before. One eye was swollen halfway shut and in various places, his clothes had large, three-fingered scratch marks running down them, making dark marks and on a few occasions more blood.

It spat its blood at the alien, nailing him in the face and it froze in a tense, deathly silence.

And then in the next it was struggling twice as hard, making the guards strain to control it as the Vortian was dragged away, looking smug. Someone had the courtesy to try and wipe the blood off of it's face and nearly got bit in the process, but it refused to back down.

"_That_," Dylit said quietly, beside Gaz and Dib. "Is an Irken."

"And the thing that nearly died insulting it," Tup murmured, with a look of boredom. "Is a Vortain. One of the strongest creatures we know of. One jab from their horns can be deadly, since they're the sharpest things in existence, if properly cared for."

Vaguely, in his head, Dib compared the Vortain's vain care to the way human's handled their skin. Although something about the comparison just didn't feel justified.

Finally, taking a shuddery breath, the Irken jerked the guards off of him.

"Zim is fine!" He snapped, slicking a gloved hand over his antennae. "I can calm down myself!"

Gaz's brow rose. "Zim?"

"Eh?" The furious but calming alien's antennae shot up, eyes darting around to the crowd threateningly. "Who spoke Zim's glorious name? I demand to know!"

Dib had not heard his sister, as she'd mumbled, and was amazed that he could hear anyone at all over the guards' raucous. He was making a mental note of the hearing when Gaz stepped forward, hands balled into fists at her sides, defiantly facing the alien.

Zim eyed her, an antennae rising in obvious question at the long-haired creature staring at him with what might've been recognition or confusion. Something about her though was . . .

"Gaz!" Dib shouted, but was silenced by Tyler restraining him. He braced himself, grimacing as he steeled himself. It would be bad to watch one beating (Gaz's was inevitable, as she seemed to be antagonizing an already pissed off Irken, a temperamental species at best). He wasn't about to watch two when Dib tried to intervene.

"_Gaz_," Zim murmured on his tongue. And then his own memories came flooding back to him, of a much smaller girl, with shorter hair and a much more irritated expression. His eyes widened as he stared at her, pointing an accusatory finger at her, which was only a few inches from her face, considering how close she was. "You're that girl!"

"I could kill you," She growled, taking a challenging step forward. Suddenly Gaz's hand snatched out, seizing him by his collar and jerking him forward, making her face only a few inches from hers. And in a voice to low for anyone to hear she hissed. "_Because of__**your**__stupidity, you're going to get my brother killed_!"

"ME?" He demanded, snatching her hand in his and holding it, grabbing her other when she threw a punch at him. He held them in front of him, making her far too close for comfort. When she was in charge, it was different, but being held here was a whole other story. "_You_ were the one who was at the wrong place at the wrong time!"

"And you were the one who insisted on saving me and getting me involved!" She shouted back. Around them, no one had any idea what an Irken soldier (and an Elite on, at that) had anything to do with one of the human children no one knew anything about, but recognition was slowly dawning on Dib, spreading throughout his body as it stilled.

As well as irritation as he watched his little sister be man-handled so forcefully.

Zim growled, jerking her hands just a little closer to the point where he was holding them at the sides of his hips. "Trust me, Earth-filth. If I could take it back, I would."

"I wish you had." She hissed. "I really wish you had, so I never would've had to meet your stupid, ugly face!"

"Zim's glorious face is not ugly!" The alien shrieked in reply, fury flashing in his eyes again. "_Your_ face is ugly, stupid, smelly creature of dirt and hair!"

"Your voice is stupid!"

"E-_nough_!" An intruding voice shouted that instinctively made Gaz cringe and pale (if the sun-deprived child could _get_ any paler than she already was).

Zim's eyes widened curiously, scrutinizing the girl's face as her stiff limbs went limp in his hands. His hand went to her back instinctively, pressing her closer to him when she started shaking, thinking she was about to lose her balance. He was _not_ about let some _filthy_ little human girl with a grudge fall on him and get his clothes scratched or winkled. Dib shouted out at the inappropriateness of the touch, struggling against Tyler once again.

"Get your hands off my sister you alien freak!" He shouted, spitting violently as he did so.

"Dib, stop!" Tyler hissed, tightening his grip. His warnings were ignored.

Gaz, on the other hand, had had it with being man-handled. Darting her gaze up to see Zim's eyes focused threatening on her brother, bitter remembrance wreaking on his every pore. A protectiveness instinctively filled her body. _She_ was the only one who got to hurt Dib. And no alien was going to take that spot from her. She felt how strong Zim was, that much was evident. Being this close, held sideways against him, her head brushing against his chest, she had a clear view of his muscles under the shirt, of which had metal sleeves similar to her own. His grip was not slack in his distraction.

So she was going to have to do this quickly, before he noticed.

Zim cried out as he was struck, harshly, in the groin. Gaz stumbled away from him, irritated but otherwise fine, rubbing her knee where she'd jabbed him. Around them, various species stared as he, an_Irken_, rolled around in pain at what this human girl had done.

"GAH!" Zim shouted, finding no comfort, no matter what position he rolled into. He made himself sit upright, holding his stomach, despite the fact that was not where she kicked him (because he really wasn't about to hold _that_ area in public). Through gasps of pain, he demanded an explanation. "What . . . did you . . do . . . to Zim?"

"Hmph," She snorted, "Whiner."

She found herself encased in large arms and was about to attack again when she saw it was a guard, restraining her. Zim, too, was hauled onto his feet and Dib was removed from Tyler's grip by yet another one. They were all turned towards Ivory, looking highly impatient. Next to her were several, official looking males varying in appearance, all looking at Zim with disapproval. Only Ivory's eyes flicked to her and Dib. As Gaz gave her an unapologetic look for a moment and then went slack in defeat, Ivory smiled and nodded, her head jerking towards the roof. Gaz's eyes followed and then widened.

Cameras. This whole thing had been filmed.

She would let this one slide.

But only because it was entertaining.

"What do you think you're doing, Invader Zim?" One of them asked, pointing a finger at him. "Just because your Tallest and your entourage left doesn't mean you're free to do as you please, without restraint. We _will_ allow them back to rip you a new one, should they request as much."

Gaz watched with satisfaction as his antennae wilted, eyes widening in fear. She had no idea who the Tallest were, but whoever they were, she guessed they had more then enough power over Zim. Maybe his parents, if she was reading the context right. When Zim didn't answer, Ivory pressed him.

"Where are the other two?" She demanded, glancing around. "Were they involved?"

Gaz then remembered the two retreating figures, one looking furious and the other nervous. There was more then one Irken there that day. Of course Zim was the easiest to remember, but he'd changed. Grown a lot, really, since he'd been her height as a small, petite child and now towered above her by a few good inches. Asshole. But that was beside the point. She remembered Zim fighting with a girl Irken, a she-Irk he'd called her, and a fat one whose named she couldn't remember for the life of her.

Zim glanced around, becoming defensive at once. "Not here."

"So it was just you instigating this, then?"

"Actually no," He retorted, snidely. Gaz's eyes narrowed. He was being held prisoner and still had the gall to be smug. If she'd disliked Zim before, she absolutely loathed him now. "The Vortian instigated the fight with Skoodge, or tried to. However, as no one can harass Skoodge but Zim and _maybe_ Tak, I ordered him to stop. When he did not, he disrespected me, something I will not stand for."

Tak and Skoodge. _Those_ were their names. Right, she remembered now. The testy female and the awkward, obedient fat one. It seemed not much had changed since she'd seen them last, though, then again, she really hadn't changed much either.

"What is he, your orderly?" Someone else scoffed. "You need to control your temper, Invader Zim. You of all people should know that we don't tolerate fighting here. We'll only ask you once to control yourself. At least until the Games start. The next time, there will be consequences."

Zim nodded, apologetic almost. "It's an Irken's second instinct to fight. I'll do my best to control myself."

"Please do," Ivory finished, glancing at Gaz. "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Gaz huffed, irritated at being addressed like a child. "No."

"Mm, that's too bad." She continued, with a glare. "An injury might've made you think twice about antagonizing a species you know nothing about. The next time you want to try to get revenge on something you can do nothing about, _don't_." When Gaz and Dib's eyes widened, as well as Zim's, she continued. "Yes, don't think we don't know what happened. The officials here are all well aware of the events that transpired between you five, but we'll leave others to pry that out at a later time, should you choose to reveal so."

The insinuative flick to Gaz let her know that somehow, that story was going to be pried out of her. Even if they had to force it out of her by some means of threat or blackmail, the story that had haunted her nightmares for years was going to be out for the world- no, the _whole goddamn universe_ to hear.

It was then Gaz realized just how violated her personal matters were about to become. The complete lack of personal space, all private matters of hers out in the open for everyone else's entertainment, to be judged and gossiped upon like she wasn't a person. A chill ran up her spine as she remembered Dib's involvement and glanced at her brother, who was looking at Zim with unmistakable loathing in his eyes. He'd been called a bit strange his whole life. If word got out about him trying to kill her so many years ago, would his reputation be ruined? His life?

_If he survives that long_, a dark voice in her head reminded her quietly. Gaz shivered again and felt the eyes of the guard on her, probably wondering if she was about to get sick or something.

"Am I understood?"

They all nodded, some more begrudging then others.

"Good. Release them."

They were all dropped to the floor like so much trash, all of them having their feet a few inches up off the ground. All of them made noises of complaint, the boys landing on their back or backside and Gaz landing on her hands and knees. The gaurds ushered everyone back into the Auditorium, their companions eying the three warily as they were forced to leave them.

Dib walked over and helped his sister to her feet. He could tell something was wrong from the fact she wasn't shaking with rage. Like she'd been defeated and then kicked while she was down.

"You okay?" He asked, with concerned.

Gaz nodded. "Yeah. Fine."

"You sure?"

"I said I was fine, Dib!" She snapped, stomping past him, her aura of irritation more bitter and frustrated then it normally was.

Dib stood their gaping at his sister and Zim still sat on the floor, mourning the aching in his groin(2). He needed to put salve on that area or _something_because it hurt worse then a snarglflox in labor!

"Zim?"

The alien glanced up tiredly, wondering if he was about to get punched. "Dib, right?"

"Yeah," The boy replied, nodding, seeming to be debating something. He crossed his arms, frowning a little. "Stay away from my sister, okay?"

Zim snorted, "I have a feeling that won't be possible, Dib-creature. Your sister seems to have it out for me right now."

"Yeah, well, _try_." Dib retorted seriously, pushing his glasses up his nose as they began slipping. "Even if Gaz thinks that it's her fault we're here, I'm still going to do everything in my power to protect my little sister. If that means keeping her away from people who are going to get her into situations where she gets into trouble, so be it."

Zim's antenna rose in disbelief, eyes flicking to where the violent, petite girl had disappeared from. "What's so special about her that you need to protect her so badly?"

Dib's eyes narrowed threatening. "Nothing you need to know about."

And with that, Dib ran off to find his sister, leaving Zim to get up on his own and follow after them stiffly.


	6. Circus

Zim got into his seat next to his companions (a seat he found by being ushered by a guard) just as the lights dimmed and a stage rose up from the ground. Tak spoke to him without facing him, her face indifferent.

"Get it out of your system?" She questioned, politely, casually even.

Zim nodded, every bit as stoic as she was. "I'm fine now."

"Good."

"You okay, Zim?" Skoodge whispered to him, on Tak's other side.

Zim scoffed. "Of course. That Vortian will think twice before attacking Zim again."

They grew quiet as a dimmed song began playing, lights flashing out into the crowd of tributes (the Roknik had got quite a collection this year). On the entire other side of the room (their seating arrangements had been no accident) Gaz caught a few of the words. No singer herself was she, but she did enjoy music, if it did have the right tone. This song sounded like something out of a rock-circus.

"_Its like__**nothing**__you've ever_  
_Seen before_  
_Heard before_  
_Breathed or lied for  
Known before  
Yearned before_  
_Lived or died for_  
_Longed for_  
_Screamed for_  
_Swallowed your pride for__**till now**_  
_Till now . . ._"

An interesting song, at the very least. Very appropriate for a game about death that few were familiar with.

"**Welcome, contestants!**" A masculine (though slightly feminine) voice echoed as a shadowy silhouette descended, smoke surrounding the area. A few people in the crowd coughed at the mist, but neither Irken nor human were among them. "**I am Gregoriath, your host.**"

If looks could kill and tension could suffocate, Gaz was positive that, between the crowd of tributes, Gregoriath would be dead by now.

"_Figured head_." Dib heard his sister his between her teeth, bringing his attention to her.

His brow rose, leaning towards her, careful to speak quietly. "_What do you mean?_"

She just shook her head, but Dib had a feeling she'd explain later.

It was then the 'contestants' began to take notice of the various cameras in the room, each of them either trained on a secular spot or roaming casually across their seats, capturing each face. She doubted that with the smoke, they could really be seen. That anyone could see the absolute hatred and resentment rolling off of their faces, as well as their aura's. Now that she thought about it, Gaz decided that maybe these effects served a greater purpose then just looking cool.

"**As this is all of your first time and not all of you are as associated with the****Games****as we'd like, I'm here to explain the rules to you!**"

Gaz resisted a hiss. They already knew the guidelines of the rules. What else could they throw at them?

Zim, on the other hand, was entirely bored with the situation. His eyes shifted around them, eying the people glaring at both the stage and his row. He was well aware the Irkens weren't popular, and frankly, neither were several other species. But if they all had to pick one main race to hate, it was his.

And he was perfectly alright with that.

His eyes lazily shifted around and Tak, beside him, noticed it was just a tad _too_ casual.

"Looking for someone?" She questioned, quietly.

Zim nodded, not denying it. "That Vortian from earlier. I'm curious to keep how many bruises I left."

"You're not exactly in the best condition yourself."

"Zim is entirely unscathed."

"I meant emotionally."

Zim shot her a threatening look, warning her not to speak anymore on the subject. The very idea he could be in any way compromised was hugely insulting, not to mention entirely untrue. She seemed to get the hint, though showed no apology. The only recognition that she understood this conversation was not to continue was her small nod and the her lack of attention. Skoodge's eyes flicked nervously between them, but he knew better than to open his mouth and say something.

The murderous expressions the contestants were giving the announcer were ignored. Gaz was well aware not a single camera was trained on them. All of them were catching Gregoriath from a different, more attractive angle, doing brief sweeps of the crowd, just to acknowledge that they were still there. Gaz felt like doing something, swearing harshly, just to ruin the speech that no one was paying attention to. But she resisted; she'd been in more than enough trouble for today.

Gregoriath raised a hand in finality, a four-fingered, sharp-taloned, but humanoid hand. "**Best of luck, tributes! May the best win; I**___**eagerly**_**await to see our champions!**"

A cheer that belonged to the Rokniks in the room, and no doubt some previously recorded audio projected from hidden speakers, rang out. Gregoriath bowed, smirking at the crowd before disappearing back in his smoke coven.

Gaz half-expected someone to yell out "Cut! That's a wrap!"

Instead the Roknik guards walked down the aisles, gesturing for them all to rise. This time the cameras _were_ trained on them as they exited, though Gaz had no doubt the crowd was interpreting their frustrated scowls as determined, thoughtful gazes; the will to win showing through on their features. Not the bitter resentment of being forced to die for someone elses' amusement. For an entire universe's amusement.

Just thinking about it made Gaz twitch with fury.

The crowd dispersed. Briefly, from the corner of her eye, Gaz saw the guards direct Zim and his Irken companions away from where they were being directed. But it was done so slyly, so naturally, that probably no on but her noticed. She smirked bitterly, well aware their resentment for one another was probably going to bite her in the ass later, like Dib and her father (and even Dwicky, on occasion) had always warned her it would.

Well, at least it might keep her brother safe. She was more than willing to get into a few fights, physical or otherwise, if it meant keeping Dib alive.

"You ready to start?" Dib asked, nudging her playfully.

Gaz gave him a confused look, turning away from the wall she'd been staring at to look at him. "Ready to start _what_?"

Dib seemed surprised, then bored. "You didn't listen to a word Gregoriath said, did you?"

She smirked wickedly. "Did you expect anything different?"

Her brother sighed, "We're going to start training first thing tomorrow. You and I will be sharing a room, since we're from the same planet. But tomorrow morning, Hanzhi will have our clothes brought to us in the morning and then we'll be, in short, brought out to a training field to, well, train, with our own gender."

Her brow rose. "What kind of training?"

Dib shrugged, "I don't know. Probably weapons or hand-to-hand. Whatever they deem necessary for whatever we're doing."

"Sounds fun," Gaz replied sarcastically, folding her arms behind her head. "Any idea what time in the morning?"

"Nope." Dib said, with a tinge of regret. "I doubt their time runs like ours anyways. I mean, it's not like they have night or day in space. They probably run on longer days actually."

"Mm," Gaz felt like if she had access to them, she'd ask for a cigarette, just for the hell of it. Just to draw out a line and blow it out right in someone's face. But as she did not have the access to them, nor did she feel like spending her last days coughing up tar, she let the idea go. "Consider that something to ask your stupid friends about."

Dib gave her a disapproving look. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to be a little more sociable."

She scoffed. "I'll be sociable when I want to be."

Dib sighed, knowing that was probably the best he was going to get. When Gaz growled in annoyance, he gave her a questioning look. "Bad thoughts?"

"No." She shook her head, irritation in her expression. "I've got a damned tune stuck in my head."

"Oh." Dib smiled knowingly, amusement in his eyes. "That circus-from-hell one they played?"

"No," Gaz replied, irritated. "Just some random tune stuck in my head."

"Care to share?" Dib asked, intrigued.

Gaz smirked, shaking her head. "Not particularly, no."

He scowled, immediately whining. "Aw, come on! You never sing for me anymore!"

"I never have." She retorted, shooting him a questioning gaze before shaking her head simply. "Anyways, have you seen this room yet?"

"Briefly." He admitted. "But don't worry, it's fine. There's a room connecting with a camera, like those video diaries people have on reality shows. You're comment from earlier was spot on; this really _is_like a TV show."

Seeing a guard glance at her, she lowered her voice, getting closer to him. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"

Noticing her shift in mood, he nodded. "Okay."

And they continued their trek in silence.

Or, at least, they planned to.

Within a few minutes of reaching their rooms, their door was thrown open and Gaz found herself vigorously embraced by a strong set of arms, cloaked in sterilized gloves and an equally pristine lab coat.

_Oh_, Gaz thought. _So that's where he was hiding._

"Children!" Membrane cried, every bit as dramatic as he normally was. "I've been waiting for your return! Look, I've brought friends!"

Gaz wondered if in other rooms, people were having equally as surprising reunions, or if her father was the only person insane enough to be here right now.

'Friends' consisted of several people; the man she recognized as the head of the Swollen Eyeball, Agent Dark Booty, the president, and half-surprisingly, Dwicky. None of these people were her friends. Then again, she didn't have any, really. She wasn't the friendliest of girls. But regardless, clearly, her father had lost his common sense somewhere along his ride into space. Maybe the differing air pressure had knocked a few of his many brain cells loose. I nodded politely to the men, most of who nodded back. Dib, on the other hand, had other ideas in mind.

"Agent Darkbooty!" He shouted, beaming, looking around at the room. "Mr. Dwicky!"

Gaz rolled her eyes as he went down the list of people, shaking hands or hugging all of them.

Dwicky, ever the healing soul, immediately got down on one knee, being a particularly tall man, almost my father's height actually, and place one hand each on Gaz and Dib's shoulder. "How are you doing, kids?"

She gazed at him boredly, borderline impatient. "Fine."

Dib nodded his ascent, "Yeah, we're good."

He looked between them suspiciously, as if he wasn't sure whether or not he should believe them. However when Gaz's eyes narrowed warningly he immediately released them, contemplative and not satisfied with their answers in the least, but remained quiet.

Agent Dark-Booty seemed amsued, glancing between his kids. "We've heard you two-."

"-Specifically _you_, Gaz." Dwicky added, not finding the situation quite as funny.

The man continued, disregarding the interruption. "Started antagonizing the aliens today."

Gaz immediately grit her teeth, images of kneeing Zim in the crotch flashing in her head, the desire to have beaten his head into a wall. Noticing this immediate reaction of fury, Dwicky's brow rose, and the rest of the agents shifted uncomfortably. Dib placed his hand on her shoulder, muttering for her to calm down before she hit a wall and broke her hand again. Now was the _last_ place, or time, for her to be recovering from an injury. So she let out a breath between her teeth and regained her composure, giving the room a look that dared anyone to say anything about her lapse of control. Nobody said a word and a slightly uncomfortable aura began to creep into the room.

Someone cleared their throat and the tension in the room evaporated.

"Well, anyways, the shows going to be airing tomorrow." An agent stated seriously, jerking his weathered chin towards his left. "That's where you two can watch it, if you want to."

Gaz scoffed, eying the machine with disgust. "I'd rather not."

"You _will_, actually." Membrane replied, matter-of-factly. "You'll need to know how you're doing if you intend to win."

Gaz made a face, looking at the floor.

Dib was the only one to notice. Or so he thought. Upon glancing up, he saw Dwicky, too, was looking at his sister. The two men shared a brief look of understanding before Dib yawned, stretching his arms behind his head tiredly.

"Wow, well," he said, blinking drowsily. "I'm beat. Anyone know what time it is?"

"Different planets have differences based on their position to their planet's sun(s)." Membrane began explaining, as only someone of his credentials and background could. "When one is in space, they run on a 36 hour day, the general mean of the time-line combined. Currently, it is indeed time for you children to go to bed."

"Guess that's one conversation we can avoid." Gaz muttered, folding her arms across her chest.

"You two should be going to bed." Dwicky admonished gently. "You've had a long day and you'll probably have a longer one tomorrow. You'll need your rest if you're going to kee up with the rest of the people here. Don't worry about us, we'll be back again later, whenever we're done making arrangements with the Rokniks."

Gaz resisted the urge to roll her eyes, both at the idea _she_ might be concerned for_them_ and at his attempt to be supportive. No amount of words, however kindly spoken, would really change anything about their current situation. He knew that and yet he was still trying, making pitiful attempts at comforting the two when they were far beyond the realm where words could even find them.

And it was annoying as hell.

"Fine," she said, as if following a particularly demeaning order. She gave a curt nod to the party, embraced her father briefly and then disappeared behind the doos marked '_Bedroom_'.

Dib made a face out of worry for his sibling, hiding it a moment after it appeared. It might as well have been a twitch, which thankfully went unnoticed by everyone in the room, including Dwicky. He faked another yawn, gave a much more genuine goodnight to their guests, and then followed Gaz inside the doors. Once inside he noted the uniform luxury it held. Really there was no other way he could've decsribed it. Nice things, not for comfort necessarily, but for the sole purpose of making the network look better, since it was plainly obvious that the tributes would have no use for these nice things.

"How many people do you think have died after staying in this room?"

Gaz was standing in the middle of the room, her back to her brother and her arms crossed. There were two doors; one with Dib's nameplate and one with Gaz's. Both were open, revealing average-sized rooms with unnecessarily large beds. Gaz vaguely wondered if this was because a participant of the Game's had ever spent the night in another occupant's room. And with a sneer of disgust, she wondered if a player had ever slept with another player for the sake of their reputation with the audience. To make themselves more interesting. Silently, she swore to herself that this was one low she would not hit to keep her and her brother alive.

She'd much rather be dead than turn into a xenophilic slut.

"Probably none," Dib said in reply to her question. "We're the first humans to have ever played in the Games. This is probably a new room."

She gestured and look down.

Dib frowned and in a brotherly instinct, gently placed a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened at the contact, as Gaz did not like being touched, but she did not move.

"It's okay to be scared, Gaz." He assured her.

Instantly she was away from his hand, glaring at him with her fists curled at her side. Defensive. It caught Dib off guard but at the same time, he should have expected her to react this way. After all, he knew better than anyone how much his sister resented coddling.

"I am _not__**scared**_, Dib." She hissed, irrately. "Fear is irrational. I am smarter than that . . . being scared of the possibility we're going to die. I _know_ that. I _know_ how bad this is! But we don't have time to be afraid of the dark!"

With this said, her anger released in her venomous words, Gaz spun on her heel and stormed off into her room, leaving Dib to stares sadly after her. After a moment though, he too slunk slowly into his room to get ready for bed.

And Gaz, safely in the confines of her private quarters, she was brooding as she changed. Dwelling on every angry word she'd spoken to Dib and regretting how entirely necessary they were. She knew Dib better than to believe how 'excited' he was to be here. The Dib that dealt with this went insane and tried to kill her, but at least that meant he was being honest with himself. That he was really dealing with this, there more than likely death. The fact he might lose his sister simply because she was too cruel and didn't do well in the ratings. Gaz knew this and while it certainly wasn't easy to surpress her terror, she acknowledged its presence and moved past it. Dib was acting like this was a vacation because he was too scared of reality. And if he kept that up, he would be dead. No matter what she did. The very weight of helplessness made her body shake inwardly, begging her to collapse. To give into terror and let her body run on automatic so that she, too, could act as oblvious as Dib was pretending to be.

Instead, in an impressive form of control, she simply sighed and changed. It was clear this was going to have to be a 'one-step-at-a-time' kind of thing. That to function and remain sane at the same time, she'd need to stop dwelling on '_ifs_' and deal with the immediate '_now_'. Which meant sleeping, so she could train succesfully tomorrow. Remaining healthy, so she could fight for the only thing(s) that matter right now.

Dib's glasses lay on the table next to him, looking empty without its owner wearing them. Dib himself had burrowed deeply into his blankets, gaining comfort from the warm pressure surrounding him. Like a cocoon of . . . safe. Yes, this was his safehouse. As the son of a scientist, he let his mind wonder why this was, why he felt so blissfully happy here. Some memory-effect from being in the womb as a fetus? He guessed as much.

This was a place to grow. Just another trial he was going to overcome, with his sister walking after him, every bit as bitter as she always was. Something in her words had stung him, but that happened sometimes. His sister had a power even she wasn't aware of sometimes. It made him glad he'd grown with her, so it wasn't as shocking as it was to others. Letting his mind drift around from subject to subject, he felt himself become drowsy as his eyes slid shut. He was nearly asleep when something shifted beside him. With an immense will-power, he reluctantly peeled his eyelids back open.

Nestled in his bed, where previously it had been empty, was now a small, shivering form. He smiled to himself, drowsily wrapping his arm around her petite frame and hugging her as only a big brother of a father-figure could. Immediately, she was tense, but as sleep overtook them both, she relaxed, and the siblings fell asleep together. The morning could wait. Right now, they were at peace.

And Gaz intended to do everything in her power to keep it this way.


	7. Before

"_**Attention all tributes! It's time to wake up! You have precisely one and a half hours or less to be ready so you may be escorted to the dining hall! This is the only warning you will get. Have a nice morning!**_"

Dib groaned, rolling over and slapping at where an alarm clock would be instinctively. Unfortunately, the audio was being projected from small speakers/microphones placed strategically in the room to get the best acoustics. As it was, they were paying off, because it felt to Dib as if they were screaming in his ear.

Unwillingly he opened his eyes, blinking a few times before immediately closing them tightly, hissing in pain. He sat up, rubbing at the crust that had fallen in his now watering eyes. Once he'd successfully retrieved the offensive piece he realized he hadn't heard another groan with his. Dib glanced left, alarmed to find that his sister was now missing from her place next to him.

"Gaz?" He shouted, grabbing his glasses and looking around the room. Despite his now perfect vision, there was still no sign of his sister.

Dib slowly got out of bed, making sure he was at least semi-decent before opening his door. Nothing. He paused, glancing left and right, irritated.

Where the hell was his sister?

"Gaz!" He shouted again, considerably louder. "Where'd you-?"

He jumped at the loud bang behind him and he spun around, automatically on the defensive. True, pajamas were hardly the proper combat clothes, but he'd do with what he had. Dib had instantly got himself hyped until his sister stepped out of her room, the door having been slammed open. Her eyes were narrowed and Dib was surprised to see her already dressed and ready to go to . . . where were they supposed to go again?

Thus is the effect of sleepiness on teenage boys.

"What do you want, Dib?" She demanded, leaning against her door frame.

His brows furrowed in confusion. "How long have you been up? What time is it?"

"I'm not your alarm clock, Dib. But it's almost seven. I've been up for a couple hours." Gaz informed him, crossly. At Dib's face of awe she rolled her eyes. "Not everyone's as lazy as _you_ are, Dib."

"Hey!" He shouted, placing his hands on his hips in an offended manner. "I'm not lazy!"

Her brow rose and one side of her mouth twitched upwards; the picture of evil in a simple smirk. It had a minimal effect on Dib, having grown up with that look, but it was this expression that had Gaz's enemy's cowering in their socks the most. But to Dib, it now only meant one thing. His sister had come up with something especially clever, rude, or all around cruel. Possibly all of the above.

"Oh?" Her voice was monotonous, the perfect tone for a delivery. "So then you weren't too damn lazy to put a shirt on, you're just particularly fond of the feeling of being half-naked?"

Dib scowled, his face turning a deep scarlet. He then grinned smugly, flexing one toned but not particularly buffed arm next to his head. "Well, if you've got it, flaunt it."

Her lips curled in disgust, both brows furrowing. "Just go get ready, Dib."

"Jealousy isn't a good color on you Gaz."

"Put a damned shirt on!" She ordered, slamming the door shut on him. Dib howled with laughter in the center-room, holding his stomach as he laughed. Gaz shouted at him for quiet and for once, it did nothing.

Zim, on the other hand, was having a much smoother 'morning' then the Membranes were. Without the laughter or the amusement. He was currently doing what he considered warm ups with nothing but his uniform exercise pants on. The kind he'd used to where when they were in vigorous training, preparing for these Games. He planned on using their hour to the fullest of his extent, intending to make every other species their appear inferior to his mighty Irken roots. After doing several different short exercises he sat up, glaring at the mirror angled directly at him. He wasn't sweating. In fact, Irkens rarely sweat. It just wasn't in them to do so unless they were dying or otherwise under extreme physical strain. And being Zim, he never really considered anything besides that a _real_ workout.

_Ah well_, he thought with slight defeat. _I'll just have to try harder at the actual training grounds._

He got up and went into his closet, where his clothes had been neatly placed by an Irken drone sometime yesterday. He decided to dress entirely, including a shirt this time. It was a black one with a red Irken Elite symbol on the front. Over this he threw a coat on, red, that trailed to the floor, with spiked shoulder blades and the Elite Symbol printed with his name on the back. Really, there was nothing in his uniform that wasn't a constant reminder of his 'Eliteness'. To the public here, it was meant to be a symbol of superiority. On Irk, it was a constant reminder of their inadequacy.

His doorknob jiggled and he became glad that he'd remembered to lock it before going to bed last night. "What is it you want?"

"Come out, Zim!" Skoodge called. "We've got orders from the Tallest."

Immediately Zim darted towards the door, opening it expectantly. Immediately he was nailed in the face by a piece of cloth, sending him stumbling back a few steps. He tore it off his face, eyes blazing with a fury directed at Skoodge. The smallest Elite's antennae were flat on his head, eyes wide with fear.

"I-I didn't-!" He squeaked, cut off by Tak's snide laughter.

Zim growled at her, knowing immediately it was not Skoodge but she who had pelted him in the face. "Very funny, _Tak_. Now what is this?"

"Look at it yourself," she retorted, leaning back against the couch casually. "The Tallest want us to appear as a united front while still identifying ourselves as individuals representing a soul idea."

"We're creating ourselves as Icons, so to speak, to make ourselves entertaining or popular." Skoodge added cheerfully. "Guess what I am?"

"Short." Zim stated monotonously, lids half closed with boredom.

Skoodge pouted crossing his arms. "No. That wasn't funny."

"It seems we all need to work on our jokes," Zim retorted, smirking. "Alright than, Skoodge. What are you supposed to be?"

"Cute," he said at once, gesturing to his ensemble.

It was the same color as Zim was holding, except reversed. Instead of red and black, it was black and red. And it accentuated his shortness, surprisingly, when that was actually a rather touchy subject with the Elite and the Tallest alike, one of the few things that wasn't often joked about between the three of them. But eying Skoodge from an outside perspective, with his abnormally wide eyes and naturally chubby, smeetish build Zim supposed that it could vaguely be considered 'cute'. Although this choice was surprising in itself, as anything even remotely adorable was considered sickening to the Empire.

"So what are Tak and I?" He asked, holding the new coat before him to examine.

It was far more stylish then what he was wearing, despite the lack of spiked shoulders, which he was rather fond of. As previously noted it was red, darting in at his thin waist and flaring out to his knees. He shrugged out of his current coat, throwing this new one on and admiring the way the fabric felt. Invader uniforms were designed and known for the amount of movement their clothes allowed, being a race specifically purposed for war. But this was something else. This was _comfortable._

He grinned, examining himself from various angles. "I like it."

"Don't get too cocky," Tak ordered, a warning tone in her voice. Then she made a face. "Well, I suppose it's acceptable, considering your role."

"Which is . . .?" He called, going back into his room to hang his other coat back up.

"The _dashing_ leader." Tak replied sarcastically. "Good luck with _that_ one!"

"I'm plenty attractive!" Zim snapped, irritated. "And I'm a fine leader thank you very much. What's yours then, Tak, if you're so keen on scolding _me_."

She smirked as he walked out, crossing her legs slowly as she sat up, chest coming before the rest of her. She batted her lashes slowly, a seductive smirk on her face.

"Sex appeal, obviously." She said, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world, immediately reverting to her snide self. "As the only female here, the Tallest knew that was probably the best choice for someone of my appearance."

"Oh well now whose being arrogant?" Zim shot back, eying her coat and smirking snidely. "So how much padding is in the front of your jacket for those kinds of curves?"

She glared at him, a growl beginning in her throat. "They're natural, but how _kind of you_ for noticing."

Zim's eyes narrowed suspiciously, darting to Skoodge for answers. "Are we supposed to be acting civil to one another or something?"

"In public." Skoodge affirmed, adjusting his jacket. "Come on. We should get ready to go to the Nourishment Station or whatever they call it here."

"I believe that Gregoriath fellow called it a '_dining hall_'." Tak noted, getting to her feet and adjusting her own coat, which was closer in design to Zim's then Skoodge's. A knock on their door made them all turn.

Zim smirked, making an unnecessarily grand gesture with his PAK appendages towards the door. "Shall we my _faithful sidekicks_?"

Skoodge laughed. Tak growled, stalking past him with only one order.

"Stow it!"

Once again Gaz found herself watched particularly carefully as her and her brother were_ever-so-kindly_ escorted from their room to the Dining Hall or whatever the thing had called it. Two guards were in front of them, a matching set behind them, creating a box around them as they walked. Dib's eyes shifted nervously to the unwelcome party, occasionally glancing towards his little sister. Gaz seemed wholly unaffected, if not slightly bored with their current situation. Dib couldn't help but sigh in relief as they turned into a large room, revealing what they correctly assumed to be their destination.

"Welcome, welcome my friends!" Gregoriath was saying, smiling warmly at everyone as they entered in groups of various shapes and sizes. "Please, make yourself comfortable while we wait for the rest of our guests to arrive!"

Gaz's eyes darted around, locating the cameras, several of them filming the crowd from an aerial view, shooting the masses as the entered. The rest were on the ground floor, getting close-up shots of the victi- contestants. They were contestants, nothing more, she reminded herself.

Because Gaz Membrane was _nobody's_ victim.

"Sit where you'd like," the guard encouraged, pointedly eying a table towards the left of the room.

Gaz was tempted to sit in the center of the room, simply to irritate them. However her brother gently placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her towards the designated table. She looked behind her with a smirk, waving at the guards to attempt to at least fluster them with her arrogant actions. They simply nodded back politely, dispersing to place themselves, probably to go collect more people.

"Can you at least _try_ not to antagonize everyone?" Dib pleaded as they sat down.

Gaz simply smirked and said nothing. Their seats were made of some type of onyx-colored stone. Clearly, if carved for the purpose, it had the utmost potential to be a weapon. And a good one. She continuously ran her fingers along the edge, noting this in her brain for later. The tables seemed to be made of the same mineral. It was cool to the touch and Gaz liked the feel of it, though she wasn't entirely positive why she was investing so much thought into alien furniture.

"Hey, guys!"

The siblings glanced up, seeing their comrades quickly making their way towards them. They seemed to be in considerably better spirits than they had been yesterday, which wasn't all too surprising since they were no longer watching their newest of comrades get into a fight with an Irken. Really, Gaz was surprised at how quickly her brother had made friends and in turn, considered her a friend. Gaz wasn't used to being around people and she certainly hadn't planned on making any here. She'd figured Dib would've been sensible enough to realize that the more friendly they became with others, the harder it was going to be when they lost them. But apparently, she'd overestimated his ability to think ahead. Regardless, their area was soon filled with the dozen or so people from yesterday, all of the looking particularly excited. Dylit seemed especially pleased to see her, which made Gaz resist a brow raise. The girl beamed as she sat on the bench beside her.

"You're alright!" She cried cheerfully, throwing her arms around the girls shoulders. "We were worried about you!"

Gaz was beyond shocked. Audacity wasn't the right word for what Dylit had, hugging her like she was. Nerve wasn't quite the phrase either. _Obliviousness_ probably; she was too stupid to realize what was dangerous, and too naive to really be in any danger. Truly, this was a fascinating defensive mechanism. Regardless, Gaz did not like being touched. Especially when the hugging was being done by a girl who felt like a rock. It was like being hugged by a mountain and it was not comfortable in the least.

"Eh, thanks," She said, unsure of how to react in these types of situations.

Dylit nodded, releasing her. "In all my years, I've never seen someone challenge an Irken like that, Gaz. It was kind of impressive, really."

"You two do realize you could've been killed?" Tyler questioned, on Dib's left, looking between both of them.

Dib shot Gaz a dark look. "One of us is aware."

Gaz shrugged. "It was going to happen eventually."

"Confrontations are my sister's specialty," Dib muttered crossly. Gaz simply smirked, saying nothing. "Anyways, what have you guys been up to?"

"Exploring our rooms," Mooshy replied. "Being near the same planet, a couple of us are rooming together."

"I'm the farthest," Tup complained sourly.

Gaz smirked. "I'm afraid we'd have to disagree on that one. We've got absolutely no idea where anyone else is according to us."

"That's probably their version of discipline here." Smootsy replied with a grin.

The table laughed, for some inexplicable reason. Or at least, that's what it seemed like to Gaz. She never understood humor much, save hers, and she often didn't express it in the event that it offended someone. Dib had trained her well, at least when it came to being civilized in public, with others . . . for the most part.

When Moop became silent, Gaz was the first to notice as he shifted slightly closer to Dylit, as if hiding. She glanced up and noticed the guards that had escorted them, now leading the three others into the room. When she grit her teeth and her pale hands gripped the table as she fought the urge to stand up, the rest of the party noticed and also grew silent, shifting uncomfortably as they tried to ignore the immediate tension in the room. As one of them laughed, she began to slowly rise from her chair.

"Gaz," Dib snapped, quietly. Though it was highly unlikely they would hear him, Dib still remembered how Zim had heard his sister earlier and he wasn't about to take any chances. "Sit._Down_."

She did not.

"_Now_!"

Immediately, despite the minimal rise of volume, Zim's head whipped around, slowly followed by his comrades as they attempted to peer over his shoulder.

Gaz was not looking at him. She was having a glaring match with her brother as she stood, their friends pointedly ignoring anyone else in the room as they waited to see what the temperamental human child would do. His eyes narrowed at the boy who had threatened him yesterday, ignoring the girl for the moment. He watched as she slowly sat back down, folding her hands in her lap as her brother leaned slightly over the table and spoke quick, cross words to her that he couldn't quite hear, although he could've sworn he heard 'behave' in there somewhere.

A guard shifted into his view, cutting off any further sight of them, gesturing to his right. "If you will, sir."

Zim noted they were being herded, despite the subtlety of their actions. Away from the humans and their table of misfits.

"We wouldn't want to cause trouble over a bunch of weaklings anyways." Tak insisted politely, gesturing for her companions to move to where they were being suggested to go.

Zim stiffened, turning away from the guards as he walked off. "Come on."

Skoodge nodded and followed, watching the scene with wide-eyes. Tak snorted, saying nothing as she did as she was told. They followed behind Zim briskly to try and keep up with his irritated pace.

As the last of the seats, or at least most of them, were filled in the large room, Gregoriath got a signal and he smiled, opening his arms wide as he turned his mic on.

"**Men, women, children!**" He cried, grinning wide. "**Get use to this room; this is where you shall dine!**"

"_Really_?" Smootsy muttered. "That hadn't even crossed my mind when they said _Dining Hall_."

This time, Gaz understood the joke, snickering along with the rest of their table before they fell silent again as a guard nearby cleared his throat.

"**Food will be brought to you on trays every morning, noon, and lunch that you are here**. **Items we encourage you not to share with different species, as not all of your diets will be compatible to others and in some cases, may be harmful."**

Gaz rolled her eyes as Gregoriath droned on about food etiquette, what could be considered offensive and the habits of others. She placed her forehead against the table as he began going over each species propriety, obviously more for the audience's curiosity than the contestant's. No one really cared that much about why Dylit's people actually just played with a device similar to a flashlight in their hands to absorb the sun, or why the human children used utensils instead of their appendages. It really didn't matter to them at all, but they said it anyways.

Finally, after what Gregoriath called a_brief_ review of some of the history of their fellow species, he bowed an unnecessary, exaggerated bow and took his leave to mingle amongst the contestants. It made Gaz thankful that they were sitting in the back, closest to the door, farthest away from Gregoriath and his harassment.

Trays exited from panels in the upper half of the wall that previously had seemed purposeless. Dib looked up in curiosity and awe as they floated, seemingly by their own natural accord, down directly in front of them. Her's and Dib's tray consisted of a glass of water, a rather shiny apple, orange juice, eggs, toast, and bacon. There was also a small bowl of fruit. It all looked delicious.

"This is excessive," Gaz insisted crossly, eying the contents. "We're never going to eat all of this, and the rest is going to go to waste."

Even Dib looked a bit uneasy. "It _is_ a lot."

Dylit peered curiously at their plate, her hands holding a glowing orb calmly between her crystal hands. She was faintly glowing a pale yellow, like she'd stained her glass. Freeing one hand she pointed to Gaz's tray. "What's that?"

"Whath wha?" Dib asked, his eggs muffling the words he spoke. Gaz shot him a look of disgust, but Dylit didn't seem to mind.

"That red thing." She said, pointing a little more accurately. "Right there."

"This?" Gaz asked, picking up her fruit. Dylit nodded. "It's an apple."

"Apple," Dylit smiled. "It's a very pleasant word."

"It's a sweet fruit," Gaz said, deciding that she might as well eat it while she had it in her hand. She took a bit of it, showing the insides to Dylit after she swallowed. "It's not red all the way through though. And it starts to get brown and gross if you leave it out for too long."

"Your food has a time limit?" Tyler asked, pausing from his own eating. His food looked like slimy slop, which he was eating with his hands. Gaz didn't look at it too long; she wanted to _keep_ her appetite for today.

"Only some of it," Dib affirmed. "And some of it has a longer time limit than others."

"Fascinating," Moop said, sipping from a strangely shaped bowl.

Dib noticed. "Do you only consume fluids, Moop?"

Moop nodded. "We have to use it to keep us hydrated, otherwise we don't have enough excess to keep us slimy."

"Really?" Dib said, fascinated. "What kind of liquid hydrates you? Or, is there any specific one?"

Gaz sighed, tuning out her brother as she ate her apple, surprised at how juicy it was, but making no move to appreciate it. She decided to amuse herself with watching Gregoriath interact with the various species, all of them looking slightly uncomfortably to being interviewed by the host of a game that would more than likely be their death. She was pointedly aware that he kept glancing towards their table, full of animated talk and occasional laughter, but he was hesitating. She smirked. He didn't want to go anywhere _near_ the troublesome violent species that no one knew much about.

She had to remind herself this was just breakfast; the next step was going to be the hard part.

And for once, Gaz wasn't particularly looking forward to the violence.


	8. The suspence

"Don't slouch like that." Dib hissed at his sister.

Gaz sighed, straightening her posture as they marched down the halls in two separate lines. They'd been divided into two groups by order of the guards, and Dib and his friends, as well as his sister, had hung back to ensure that they remained together for the walk and were as far from the eager Irkens and Vortians (who were at the front of the line) as they could get. It wasn't so much that Gaz was afraid of them (although Moop certainly was, that was still quite clear, although he seemed to be adjusting) or anyone else for that matter, it was more Dib's suggestion than anything else.

"_Where are all the__cameras__?_" Gaz whispered back, leaning slightly over the defined separation of the lines to be inconspicuous and avoid any attention from the guards.

Dib glanced around and sighed, dubbing it none of their concern with a simple shrug of his shoulders. Gaz's eyes narrowed in dissatisfaction, but she made no further verbal rebuttal, instead choosing to continue to analyze the halls they were currently walking through. Still not a sign of them. In fact, they hadn't seen anything since they'd left the Dining Hall.

Two double-doors of a decent size slid open, revealing to them a room twice as large as the Dining Hall, divided in the center by a metal-covered indent in the ground. A subtle line in the walls connecting to it suggested a hidden panel, probably serving as a mean of splitting the room to create two separate ones. As the line was directly between the two doors, allowing an exit should the rooms split, it was perfectly likely. It reminded Gaz about what one of the officials had said earlier, about the girls and boys being separated during training.

"_Wow_," she heard a Turk (a creature Moop had identified for them; it looked like a cross between a wolf and some type of dinosaur) mutter, directly in front of her. "_So they're really throwing us in as soon as they can._"

Gaz resisted the urge to snort, a flash of Ivory's disturbingly serene smirk appearing in her mind.

_You have__**no**__idea_.

"Welcome, contestants. Please stand in an orderly fashion as instructed and we will begin the debriefing of the games, which you will be given a second time again right before they start. After that, we'll begin your three-day segment training, have a one day break, possibly another day to train or stay on the Base, before you're thrown into the project."

Instinctively, at the feminine voice drawling on almost boredly, as if this was a remedial task she neither enjoyed nor particularly disliked, Gaz stiffened. She caught a glimpse of Ivory, standing in a white uniform with blue on the shoulders and a metal around the neck. It was a full body-suit, accentuating her humanoid curves while at the same time making her look all the more frightening. Her eyes roamed the crowd, catching Gaz's eye eventually. She smirked just a bit, winking at the girl. Gaz resisted the urge to mouth something vile and, in an impressive spark of self-control, immediately looked away.

They were forced into rows of five, all of them perfectly aligned behind the other, still separating the genders, girls on Ivory's left and boys on her right.

"First off, you might have noticed the lack of cameras in the the training room." Ivory said, gesturing to the room. Gaz didn't look around, like the majority of the creatures did; she'd already noticed this. Ivory continued after a few seconds. "Yes, well, they won't be here until the third day. We like to keep the audience from becoming aware of our contestant's skill until the games actually _start_. Let me explain how the game is played. Just because you might've watched it or heard it about it hardly means you're informed."

A screen descended from behind her and the lights dimmed automatically. Gaz noted the guards stiffen from the corner of her eye, more than likely becoming nervous that they couldn't see as well and were at a slight disadvantage should someone try to attack. Lucky for them, Gaz had been subdued a while ago.

"For this, however, I'll allow our combat specialist to explain." She gestured with her hand again, and a man with dark gray skin moved forward from the darkness in a suit similar to Ivory's, except it was entirely dark blue, with the occasional gray and black interference.

"I'm Polyrisis." He said, in an authoritative tone. He rolled his eyes immediately, as if someone had said something. "_Yes_, like the toxin, but fortunately for you, given the circumstances, not as dangerous."

Dib's brow rose, whispering to Tyler, who was now on his left. "What's Polyrisis?"

"It's a poison that can turn into an infection and become contagious, if made correctly." Moop answered for him instead, shivering a little, as if the very thought of this toxin was terrifying to him. "A strange name for a Roknik to name their child, considering that was the disease that plagued and killed off almost half their population."

_Interesting name indeed_, Gaz thought to herself, a brow rising as she turned her attention back to Polyrisis.

"In the training room you study what you want; whether that be combat, survival, or one of the other many classes we offer in this room, that's up to you. And as _all_ of you are unfamiliar with the environment you'll be dealing with, I'd highly recommend you all take the class given to you about environment adaptation. Or at least check the book out on it, so that you may read it in your spare time. There's more than enough books for all of you though, so no need to worry about you not handling a copy.

"Weapons training is also something I'd recommend. Not only does it allow you to handle some of the weapons you might come into contact with, but it also shows you a brief but effective means of fixing your weapon, as well as creating weapons out of seemingly nothing. While actually being able to use the object in question is difficult, evidently, fixing it is always just as important. Some of these weapons aren't used to constant handling, and you might need to do a few repairs occasionally, lest you risk your device becoming utterly useless to you. Which, keep in mind, would no doubt lead to greatly risking of your life. Over a maintenance problem."

Gaz couldn't help but smirk a little. She liked the way this creature talked. It reminded her of the character of a book she'd read as a child, something Dib had forced upon her because he insisted he'd found her male counterpart. Gaz, never one to willingly accept Dib's romanticism, had read the book during their free time (which was scarce at the time, since their father had been at the peak of their experimental enhancement) and begrudgingly admitted that should she ever be deluded enough to date, she might date someone such as the person in the book. Except she severely disliked Irish accents. Maybe she could stand an English one, but Irish was pushing it. And he needed to have a little more muscle-mass on him then the average twig.(1)

This was not saying Gaz was in any way attracted to this creature before her. But she did decide that she'd have no qualms about making him a companion of hers, should it come up.

"This being said." He said, with finality. "The day before deployment into the Field, you will each have an individual hour in here with myself, Ivory, and a camera crew to show off any skills you think would be impressive. As you can see, this room is currently devoid of any cameras and will remain as such until the day of evaluation. Bets will be placed on you. The more bets placed, the greater advantage you have."

No one dare asked why, but Gaz could just feel the confusion radiating through the majority of the creatures around her. A part of her began to feel the advantageous side of being Ivory's little pet, as irritating as that woman was. A part of her wondered why she was so interesting to the woman, but the rest of her could care less. If it worked to her advantage on her mission to save her brother, so be it. She'd put up with the human race for this long. If worse came to worse, she wouldn't have to put up with Ivory for very long anyways.

"You'll find you'll have to supply your own form of excercise clothing, should you need it. At the very least, it makes it easier for you to look good. Let's begin, shall we?"

"This way, boys," Ivory said, moving to the opposite side of the room. "You'll be having me as your trainer today."

"You're dismissed." Polyrisis added with finality. "Please separate within five minutes or you'll be escorted to your designated sides."

Immediately the crowd lost its formation, Gaz seaking out her brother with Dylit trailing behind.

"Lucky us," Dib muttered as he jerked his head towards Ivory.

Gaz smirked. "Now you know how I feel."

"Be careful, okay?" Moop encouraged them, still playing with his hands as he looked at Dylit. His eyes shifted to Polyrisis, who was having brief words with Ivory. For once she didn't seem at all smug or amused about anything, which made Gaz relax, if only slightly. Without her patronizing smirk, Gaz found her face to be relatively tolerable.

"We'd better go," Tyler insisted, shoving his companions away from their two female friends. "Good luck!"

Gaz nodded, saying nothing as she eyed the booths around her. She cracked her knuckles instinctually, ignoring the paranoid feeling stirring within her stomach at having her brother so far away from her. Normally, the feelings of protectiveness were mainly given to Dib, but despite the fact her brother was more than capable of handling weapons (as well as himself), she was normally used to having him around when she fought. They watched each other's backs.

"I'm going over to the wildlife station." Dylit said, smiling. Strange how such a soft creature could be so cheerful about preparing for her death. "Do you want to come?"

Gaz looked away, eyes roaming anywhere but at the girl to keep her head from being so entirely pessimistic. She wasn't in the mood to be brooding. "No, I'm fine. You go ahead, I'll catch up when I can."

"Okay."

She turned, watching Dylit head over to the section that seemed to revolve around one's surroundings. It looked like plant-identification, wildlife tracking, and basically anything nature-wise was over there. Anything that you could eat and could eat you. Automatically, Gaz shook off these emotions as her eyes drifted from station to station.

A hand clamped down on her shoulder.

Immediately recognizing that the pressure was far too harsh to be friendly, Gaz instinctually ducked her shoulder and turned, ready to kick someone in the face for touching her so threateningly. She paused however, noticing Polyrisis's hand still hovering in the air, a singular brow rising at her actions.

She reluctantly relaxed. "Sorry."

He held up a hand, which she immediately noticed was gloved and black. "No need to apologize. That's a good reaction time you have."

"Thanks," She muttered. "You wanted something?"

"I noticed your apprehension to pick a station." He replied. Then he jerked his chin forward, coming to stand next to her. "Might I recommend that one?"

Gaz looked and her eyes immediately narrowed, watching as a figure stretched across another figure, both of them standing on a mat with several official looking people seeming to be speaking to them about something, most likely the rules of the area. Her eyes narrowed, hands curling into fists. Eventually, hearing a muted chuckle she turned, shooting a dark look up at the tall creature.

"What are you playing at?" She demanded, through gritted teeth. "Are you _trying_ to get me into trouble?"

"Don't think I haven't heard about you and the Irkens." He replied, smugly. "Your rivalry with their leader isn't exactly going to keep you safe. If you end up gonig head-to-head with one, don't you think it would be smart to get used to their fighting styles here, instead of in the arena, where they have permission to kill you?"

She glared at him harsher. "I can think for myself, thanks."

"Ivory mentioned you were stubborn."

Suddenly, Gaz found herself disliking this man. "She doesn't know _anything_ about me."

"Oh?" He asked, through narrowed eyes. He smirked, but Gaz couldn't find herself getting irritated. It wasn't an antagonistic smirk, like Ivory's was. It was more of a . . . challenge. Like he was daring her to do something. "So you're not a fighter?"

She snorted. "I didn't say that."

"Then don't say anything else, little one." He said, leading her to a different mat and shedding his jacket, tossing it aside to reveal a reptilian looking vest-shirt underneath, tucked into his pants. "Show me how you fight."

"I'm not little." She snapped, automatically. As she watched him steady himself, she gave him a look of disbelief. "And what makes you think I would want to fight _you_?"

"If you won't fight an Irken or a Vortian." He replied. "You might as well fight your teacher. After all, I teach my contestants everything."

"Keeping in mind the majority of them are dead by the end of the tournament." She retorted smugly, making no move to remove her jacket or prepare to fight him in any way.

He shrugged. "Fair enough. But no one whose trained with me has ever gone down without putting up one slorg of a fight."

Gaz rolled her eyes. "I'm not getting out of this, am I?"

"No, not really."

She sighed, discarding her jacket and cracking her knuckles, warming her muscles up with a simple flick of her wrists before getting into her stance. It had annoyed the hell out of anyone she'd ever fought before, something which she had no inner qualms about. Gaz had both feet firmly set on the ground, her right side angled towards her opponent and her hands curled into fists. That was all it was. Polyrisis was almost in a runner's position, one hand on the floor as he squatted. Neither made a move. Gaz was vaguely aware of one of the officials coming over.

"She knows the rules?" They asked.

Polyrisis grinned. "No killing or seriously disabling injuries. Don't get off the mat unless the match is over or you forfeit. Stop when the call is made. You got that?"

Gaz snorted. "No problem."

"On my call," the creature said. There was pause. "You ready?"

"Ready."

"Ready."

"Go."

Polyrisis flicked his wrist forward, using the hand on the floor as leverage to leap over Gaz's head. She quickly darted away, nearly smirking at the irritated expression she saw on Polyrisis's face as he realized that all he had succeeded in doing was switch places with the little human girl. She quickly refocused her attention on his next move though, anticipation straining her muscles as she nearly danced around waiting for him to move.

He darted forward again, running on the ground. Automatically Gaz leaped up over his head, bringing her heel down where she estimated his head would be. He anticipated and ducked, rolling away at the same time. Gaz landed in a roll, getting away before he could attack her. When she stood she was immediately bombarded with kicks and punches, which she deflected, shooting her leg as she brought the toe of her boot into his chin. He stumbled backwards and she followed, shooting another kick out towards his middle.

And just before it landed, a blow that would send him flying on his back and well out of the ring, Gaz saw him smirk and her eyes widened, bringing her leg back in a split second too late.

Polyrisis grabbed her boot, twisting it like one would when snapping a neck, and sent her whole body spinning in the air before she landed harshly on her back, the wind knocked out of her.

"Game." The man called, stopping Polyrisis from further assualt.

Gaz stared up at the roof, breathing heavily as she tried to fully regain her breath. She closed her eyes, frustration radiating from every pore in her body as she recapped the very short-lived sparring match. It wasn't often Dib ever beat her, but it had happened when she wasn't in top form and when her brother had been particularly driven that day. But those matches had always been long, drawn out things. Polyrisis had knocked her flat on her ass within five minutes.

A shadow over her made her open her eyes, glaring futilely at Polyrisis as he held a hand out to he help her up.

"You alright, little one?"

She ignored the hand, sitting up on her own. "Stop calling me little. I'm not little."

Polyrisis nodded, "Yes you are."

Gaz hissed at him, using her knee to leverage herself onto her feet. "Shut up."

"I'm only trying to help." Her instructor insisted, a bit of crossness edging into his voice. "Are you always this resentful against other's assistance?"

She paused, shooting another glare his way before looking at the floor. "I don't need your help."

"On the contrary; you'll be killed rather quickly on the field if you don't refine your technique." He insisted, moving back towards his segregated side of the mat. "We'll be working here today. Prepare to be sore when you get back to your room."

"How is beating the crap out of me going to help me become a better fighter?" She demanded, putting aside her pride for the moment to even consider the possibility of such a question.

"You'll see tomorrow when we do this again," Polyrisis retorted, impatiently gesturing towards the caller before looking at her politely. "Shall we?"

Gaz sighed, getting into her defensive position. She had a feeling this was going to be a _long_ day.

Dib sighed, rolling his shoulders as he tore apart and reconstructed various technology. It was hurting his back a little, hunching over these machine parts like this, a habit he'd yet to break when working on anything. Normally Gaz hit him and he'd stopped, but Gaz was currently residing on the other side of a wall, at the moment. Not to say he probably couldn't see her if he looked hard enough; it _was_ nearly see-through after all, but he respected the boundaries set by the aliens. Maybe his sister had no hope when it came to practicting civility, but Dib certainly did.

"Dib!"

The boy glanced up just as he snapped the last piece of his gun (or so he'd been told) back into place, looking up to see Mooshy running towards him. A quick glance to his left and right proved that he was alone.

"Yeah, Mooshy? What's up?" His brows furrowed. "Something wrong?"

"Come on, man, you've been doing this for like an hour." Mooshy insisted, ripping the gun from his hands and putting the machinery down carefully, obviously familiar enough with it to understand the high-sensitivity it was installed with. "You mentioned you trained a lot with your sister back on Earth, right?"

"Yeah," Dib confirmed warily as he allowed himself to be dragged away. "Why?"

"Well Tyler's getting irritated because the Vortians, the Essex and those two Irkens are kicking everyone's butts on the mats." Mooshy explained. "And he already got his handed to him by an Essex, so he's out."

Dib's eyes widened as he saw where this was going. "You're not going to try and throw _me_ in the mix, are you?"

"Well you said you were trained in combat!"

"My sister is the one who specailized!" Dib shrieked, trying to get out of his friend's suddenly iron-clad grasp as he dragged him towards the combat stations. "I was the one who preferred the weapons handling!"

"Well you beat her _sometimes_, right?"

"But-!"

"Here's another one!" Tyler shouted immediately, interrupting Dib as Mooshy came through the crowd with his friend in tow.

It was then Dib realized, with wide eyes, how much of a crow had gathered around this area. Wrapped in his own bubble with his technological, foreign toys, he had been completely oblivious of this little wrestling match comptetition proceeding on the opposite side of the room. Easily half of the contestants were over here, the others taking advantage of the lack of population in the other areas.

One of the judge's eyed Dib's surprised face with disinterest. He raised a claw, motioning forward. "Bring him over here."

Cheers roared as Tyler took Mooshy's place, his hand gripping Dib's arm as they walked forward.

"Just do your best, Dib," his friend muttered. "Don't show fear, okay? The Irkens are watching."

Dib's eyes narrowed immediately, eyes searching for the creatures, or specifically the creature, who caused his sister so much trouble. He found him on the edge of a mat, obviously waiting for Dib to finish his match before he was allowed to continue. Upon meeting eyes with the human, his eyes too narrowed, and for a moment they were locked in a scowling match. Then Tyler spoke again and Dib broke gazes, looking to his friend as he listened.

Tyler grinned at him. "Just kick butt, okay?"

"I'll take it from here, boy."

They both stopped, looking up to see Ivory with her hands on her hips. Clearly she wasn't exactly thrilled the sparring arena had turned into its own form of entertainment, but she was handling it. She jerked her chin for Dib to come towards her, which he did, breaking contact with Tyler to move forward.

Dib became apprehensive as she leaned forward, considerably taller then even Dib, placing her hands on her knees. She spoke quietly as well as seriously. "You're Gaz's brother, correct?"

He nodded.

"Then I've no doubt you've got the skill to beat Noki, eh, the Essex." She replied, eyes never flickering away from Dib. She placed a hand on his shoulder, smirking that smile Dib was well aware made his sister's skin crawl.

And, to be honest, it was making _his_ skin crawl as well.

"You're a human; no one knows how to fight your kind." Ivory reminded him. "Use it to your advantage."

With that she released him, taking his jacket from his shoulders and shoving him onto the mat without another word.

"Contestants, please follow the rules." The game-caller said boredly, yellow eyes flicking from Dib back to the Essex across from him; Noki or something, right? "No murder of another contestant or serious injury - save that for the battle-field."

_Use my humanity to my advantage_, Dib thought to himself, eyes narrowing. _I can do that_.

The Essex was a dark creature, a deep black with an indigo sheen to its slimy-looking skin. It something that looked like a crab's claw for an appendage on his left and a taloned hand on his right. Its head seemed meshed partially into its body, leaving it without an neck. Large icy blue eyes watched Dib with smug fury, other creatures of simialr sorts shouting support and praise towards it.

_Where am I supposed to hit this thing?_ Dib thought, hands balling into fists as he crouched down, ready to move if he needed to.

"Fight!"

Startled at the shout, Dib barely had time to react before he saw a claw charging at him.

He ducked instinctively, his legs gaining a sudden burst of energy as he ran away from the charge. The Essex skidded on its feet, which somehow caught hold of the mat on the floor, despite its slippery appearance. People shouted out, reminding Dib of what it would be like to be in a bull-ring. That the odds were only in his favor so long as he dangled his cape in front of the monstrous creture that obviously had the advantage over him. And Dib soon realized, after the fifth time the thing charged at him and he narrowly avoided the sharp, frustrated claw of his opponent, that his cape was starting to tangle around his legs.

_I can't just run from it forever!_ Dib thought immediately, fingers twitching at his side as he began sweating. _Shit! What would Gaz do? Man, SHE'S the combat-freak, not me!_

But the fact was, Gaz wasn't here, the crowd was becoming frustrated and making Dib feel like he was about to be pounced on by _them_ if he didn't do something soon, and if he kept running, eventually, he was going to lose energy and get hurt. And the last thing he wanted was proof to Gaz that he couldn't handle himself in the ring. She thought she hid it well, but Dib knew his sister better than that.

_"You're a human: no one knows how to fight your kind."_

Dib eyes widened as the monster came charging at him.

_"Use it to your advantage you idiot!"_

His eyes narrowed at the sound of Gaz's voice, even if it wasn't real. She_would_ say something like that. As much as it disturbed him to admit it, Ivory sort of reminded him of his sister, if she was as arrogant. But the words were more than enough; he needed to stop running and fight. But how in the world did you fight something that looked like _that_?

The answer came to him as the claw shot forward, aimed directly at his face, no doubt an illgal shot.

In one swift movement Dib rolled onto his back, captured one of the things surprisingly gripply legs in between both of his own, and kicked upwards. He had no doubt his sister would've snorted, had she seen. Granted, literally kicking the thing in the ass probably wasn't exactly the most impressive tactic he could've used, but it worked. And he would've said as such.

_I really need to stop obsessing about my sister's head_, he thought, rolling to his feet just in time to watch the Essex land, quite a few feet off the mat, flat on its stomach, where a crowd had parted. It groaned, shoving itself to its feet. He grinned victoriously, ready to shout out his triumph when an enraged shriek shattered his moment of success. Dib's smile evaporated as the Essex was once again hurled across the room, courtesy of the figure it had landed on. And upon seeing the color of the creature, as well as the clearly meeker companion that attempted to assist it up and was rudely shoved away, Dib nearly groaned.

"Aw, hell." He muttered, steeling himself for the worse.

"YOU INFERNAL PILE OF MEAT AND STINKY FILTH!" The figure shrieked, shooting Dib a furious look as it got to its feet with some difficulty. "YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE!"

"I was on my back!" Dib shouted back in disbelief, though not even close to to the ear-piercing levels his counterpart was now yelling. "How could I have aimed without seeing you?"

"YOU DID IT! THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS!"

"Zim-." The littler one tried to interrupt, nervously.

"Do not interfere!" Zim snapped, shooting the smaller one a deathly glare that quickly silence him. He then pointed a finger at Dib, narrowed eyes daring him to say something. "You and your stupid sister are nothing but trouble! You and your insignificant emotions of resentment against the Almighty Zim-!"

"_**What**_ did you just say?" Dib shouted back, taking a few steps towards Zim. Immediately he felt himself restrained, arms encircling under his and meeting at his shoulders as he struggled and jerked in a half-hearted attempt to free himself. "Don't you _dare_ say a word about my sister, alien scum!"

The crowd around them were making small, almost entirely unnoticeable noises, antagonizing the two, not-so-silently egging on what was obviously going to be the next fight, if this wasn't immediately controlled. The Essex that had been thrown off of the mat had recovered easily enough, and was now also part of the mob encouraging the human and Irken with obvious problems in their past.

And now Zim was struggling against Skoodge's hold, the only one willing to even go near the furious Irken, officials included. "How DARE you patronize an Elite member of the Irken Armada!"

Watching the display of male supremeacy, Ivory's eyes narrowed. She was well aware of what had transpired between the two, and was probably the only one who realized that this was more than just a show of a member of a dominant species getting too much contact with another dominant member of another species, or the defending of a blood-mate's honor. While Dib was obviously very protective of his little sister, probably treating her more like a parent than a big brother, this was obviously not the case. And she was going to put an end to this nonsense _now_.

"Dib!" She growled, ripping the struggling human free from the two Plookesians currently struggling to restrain their companion. "This ends. _**Now**_."

"She's right, Dib-stink." Zim sneered, jerking himself free from Skoodge as from his PAK sprang metallic, sharp looking appendages. "It's time I take care of you once and for all!"

With a cry of rage, Dib jerked himself free from Ivory's hands, which slipped when she attempted to grab him once more.

An official raised a hand as both boys unintentionally lunged onto the larger of the mats. "Fight!"

Dib tackled Zim around the middle, sending them both sprawling on the floor. By now all of the tributes that had been lingering at the other booths had gathered around and joined those rioting the two, though it was quite obvious no amount of outside help was necessary to stir the surprising amount of resentment between the two.

"Zim!" Skoodge shouted, moving forward to intervene.

And then, just as suddenly as Dib had tackled him, the taller Irken got the upper hand as they rolled, stopping with Zim on top as he punched the boy in the gut. He took another step and Zim was off of the human, Dib using the same manuever he'd used with the Essex a few minutes ago, extending his leg upwards and flipping the Irken off of him, keeping hold of his wrists so that he could immediately flip back on top. This quick manuevering made it too hard for anyone to get between the two, not that the majority of the onlooker's really wanted to. This was by far the most entertaining fight they were probably going to see without the risk of serious injury, and no one but Skoodge, Ivory, and the guards she'd called over seemed to really be trying to do anything to stop it.

"Damnit!" Ivory hissed, when one of the guards was sent flying backwards as a deflected shot from Zim injured one of her guards. She spun on her heel, parting through the crowd. "Where is that damned mechanic?"(2)

Dib heard various shouting, though all the noise just seemed to be a haze for him, like it didn't exist. Nothing mattered except beating the crap out of Zim until he was nothing more than a pulp. All he saw was red and his mouth tasted like acid, every blow, dealt and delivered alike, sending him further and further into his furious haze. Zim was very much in the same state, his mind shrieking so many curses, threats, and foul words towards every member of the human race so loudly he wasn't even aware of the crowd around him. Just the infernal Dib-monkey and the fact he needed to die.

"DIB!"

A voice rang clear out, making both boys pause at the shriek that was by far superior to anything they'd yet to scream at one another. That was all that was needed. That single pause.

Immediately hands and bodies dove in, ripping to the two badly beaten boys apart. They struggled violently, Dib especially, until he felt a hard and unfortunately familiar hand lash out at his cheek.

_**SLAP!**_

The resounding silence the room, stunning Dib into freezing, as well as Zim, whose antennae rose questioningly before both lay flat against his head, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

"That's _enough_, Zim." Tak hissed quietly, blocking off his view of his adversary in a state of stunned, shock. "We'll be talking to the Tallest about your lack of control _later_."

He glared at her and remained silent, jerking his arms free from the guards and taking a challenging step towards her.

She snorted. "I dare you, you stupid fool. Let's see how quickly you get executed for attacking your fellow Elite."

Skoodge placed a hand on his friends shoulder. "Come on, Zim. Let's just go back to the room."

Zim said nothing, reluctantly allowing himself to be lead out, Tak locking eyes with Gaz, who was looking after her. For a moment, Ivory was under the impression the girls had a mutual understanding, considering how they both seemed to be in charge of hot-headed males. But it was quickly very clear that in no way were they on common ground by the glare that they shot each other.

"They're not going to make up, Ivy." Polyrisis informed her quietly as he came up and stood next to her. "In fact, I have a feeling this rivalry will turn out most impressive between the girls, not the boys."

"How do you figure?" She replied, equally quiet as her companion.

He smirked. "You'll see."

Meanwhile, Dib's cheek was smarting something awful. The incredible sting that burned across his cheek like wildfire seemed to pulse, his lips parted gently, still frozen in a silent gasp. He looked up slowly, almost afraid of his attacker's expression, with good reason.

Gaz's mouth was pressed into a tight line, clearly trying to restrain something in her expression. Possibly even the very emotions she felt herself. For some entirely unknown reason to Dib, her eyes seemed to be almost watering as well.

"_How could you . . ._?" She breathed out, fury and disbelief somehow mingling into that simple question.

"Gaz . . ." Dib replied, not sure how to respond.

And suddenly his sister's face went cold, sending shivers down his spine. She turned on her heel, saying nothing as she left, storming out of the room. Vaguely, Dib wondered if she was even allowed to do that, and a queasiness made a knot in his stomach as he watched a guard follow after her.

"Gaz!" He shouted painfully after her. She ignored him, looking at the guard that spoke some words to her before opening the doors, leading her out of the room as she followed briskly after him.

Ivory sighed. "We've got a handful on us this year, don't we, Poly?"

Polyrisis nodded, folding his arms casually behind his head. ". . . A handful indeed."


	9. ettiquette of fury

"You're sure about this, then?"

Gaz looked up from her seat, nodding. She hadn't moved since she'd sat down, leaving her still in her sweaty clothes, the fresh sweat having dried by now. But even without moving, she felt her limbs moan at the aches her training had created. She was making extensive plans on taking a hot bath or shower the moment she got back to her room when the door opened, revealing the person now addressing her.

"Yeah," she confirmed. "I want to be trained separately from my brother. Permanently."

The atmosphere in the room seemed to pause the second the words were out of her mouth. Gaz became slowly aware of her heartbeat and her blood pulsing through her veins, though neither were at a particularly alarming rate.

Before her, Gregoriath frowned. "Why? I thought you liked your brother."

"If I could, I'd like to keep my reasons private." Gaz admitted, as politely as she could. She knew that she wasn't going to get anywhere with this overindulged diva of a man if she wasn't on the brink of getting on her knees and begging or using the best of her charm. And considering how aloof she'd been in general, she was going to need all the charm she had (because he could go to hell if he thought she would beg). "I hope you understand."

"Well, I mean . . . of course, young lady." He replied, smiling, though it didn't show his teeth. "Although, I have to admit, I'm not sure what you'd do in the mean time. I mean, we do have tributes that like to train separately from their partners, and we've already got a dozen or so, so we won't have to make any special arrangements, but still. What were you planning on doing while your brother was away?"

Her mouth went dry, every fiber in her being trying to prevent her from doing what she knew she had to. She swallowed her initial nerves, getting out the words before something could stop her.

"Etiquette training." Gaz said, automatically. She pretended to be embarrassed, eyes glancing to the floor and hoping she looked the part. "I'm not exactly the most polite girl around here, nor am I the most charming. I am, however, a better fighter than most of the people here. Or, at least, the girls. I'd rather focus on my weaknesses then better my strengths."

In truth, this was all a big fat lie. While Gaz was a wonderful fighter, training on Earth was nothing compared to fighting Polyrisis. He had kicked her ass more times and with more moves than she cared to remember, to the point where she was almost ashamed of herself. True, she'd put up a good fight, but he always managed to find some invisible weakness of her strategy that eventually led to her downfall. It was frustrating beyond belief, but that wasn't the matter at hand at the moment. Gaz hated being 'lady-like' with every fiber of her being. Without a mother, there was an extreme lack of influence for anything girly on her radar, especially after the incident. Dwicky had once been concerned about this, but seeing she was not in the least bothered by her inability to fit in with most other girl's her age, he had eventually let the matter drop. Though not after buying her several dresses consecutively for her birthdays.

"Mm, I suppose I understand." Gregoriath admitted, thoughtfully. "Well, and who did you want to train you?"

"Anyone." Gaz replied at once, without hesitation. "But someone preferably human."

Gregoriath nodded. "I can have that arranged by tomorrow, than, Ms. Membrane. That is how your kind addresses on another, yes?"

"Gaz is fine," she said smoothly, despite the fact she didn't want this man even half believing he was on friendly terms with her.

He seemed pleased (and thus thoroughly fooled) nonetheless, giving her a winning smile as he continued. "Sure thing, Gaz. Your eating schedule will still be at the same times as your brother, but if you really are intent on avoiding him, I suppose we can arrange for you to sit separately from everyone else, if you're willing to isolate yourself to make yourself comfortable."

"No, that won't be necessary." She replied, standing. "I can handle those arrangements myself."

Gregoriath smiled, patting her on the head and being polite enough not to whipe his hand off on his pants immediately after. "You're certainly an interesting contestant, you and your brother. I don't often say this to contestants, but I do honestly hope that the odds are in your favor for winning the Games."

Gaz somehow had a feeling she should be honored, and so smiled back, though it was small. "Thank you."

"Of course!" He shouted, gesturing for her to leave his office as he walked next to her. "These guards shall return you to your room. Your brother won't be back at the same times as everyone else, as he and the Irken lad are currently being dealt with by the Disciplinary Committee." At Gaz's stumble, Gregoriath caught her arm and steadied her, continuing hurriedly to finish. "But they'll be fine of course, dear! The DC can't do anything of major consequence this late into the Games, with interviews just around the corner. No, don't you worry your little head, they'll probably just end up being separated entirely. Are you alright, dear?"

Gaz had zoned out almost completely, instinctual fear for her brother kicking in and glazing her eyes over. At Gregoriath's concern she snapped out of it, nodding animatedly. "I'm fine. It must just be exhaustion kicking in. Thank you for your time."

"Oh, my pleasure! Be sure to rest up! If you need anything, just call!"

For some reason, Gaz curtsies, politely, in probably the most foolishly girly gesture she'd ever done. "Of course."

This seemed to just be the kill for the man, as he absolutely radiated joy, patting her on the head once more. "Oh, I'm sure you'll do wonders in etiquette. Goodbye, dear."

"Goodbye."

Gaz's escorted walk back was uneventful, but she couldn't help but flinch as she noted one of the meeting rooms had the red light on above the door. She assumed this meant that a meeting was in session, meanwhile, none of the other lights were on. She could only assume that the topic of discussion was her sibling and the Irken boy, who really, had been involved in every fight that had happened. If questioned about it, she might be able to spin that to advantage. That it wasn't her or her sibling, but Zim who was the trouble-maker.

"Maybe," she murmured to herself. Then she shook it off, mumbling polite grattitude to her escort as she opened the door to her apartment and closed it behind her. With a heavy sigh she went into her room, stripping as she reached her bathroom and turning the bath on.

Gaz had some things to think about, and she really just needed to sit for a while to sort out what she was going to do with these new facts.

Officially, she had excluded Dib from her decisions in the Games as of ten minutes ago. When he got back, he was going to do one of two things; either he was going to storm into his room and pout about whatever had happened, or he was going to want to speak to her. And she needed to figure out what she was going to say.

_If I have to say anything at all_, her mind insinuated, making Gaz scowl. Not talking to Dib would be the chicken-way out of this. And if there was anything that Gaz Membrane refused to do, she would never be a wimp. Unfortunately, this meant facing her brother head-on with almost every question, and more than likely avoiding him for some time. It was also likely she would have to isolate herself from her brother if it meant saving him.

Gaz let herself sink nose-deep into the water, eyelids drooping dangerously low as she snorted, creating ripples from where the air from her nose touched the water. The amount of complicatied circumstances she had created for herself were ridiculous. Effectively, by turning her back on her brother, from his point of view, she was abandoning him. And so went the brotherly bond. But at the same time, she was doing this to ensure at least _his_ survival.

"This is a stupid game," She muttered into the water, spitting out the mouthful of it she got for her troubles. She swiped the back of her wrist across her mouth, ignoring the fact that didn't help at all and sighed.

Screw being the underdog.

If she was gonig to die, she was going to go down fighting.

Zim was_beyond_ yelling.

A deathly silence hung over the Irken apartment, which was especially strange, since all three of them were in the same room seated at the same table. Tak had her hands in her lap and Skoodge was left to fidget nervously in his chair, fully aware of the tension between his two taller companions and unsure whether he wanted one of them to speak or not.

"The Tallest are going to murder you." Tak finally said, in an unaturally collected tone of voice. "I hope you know that."

Zim snorted, not taking to the bait for once, having already come to this conclusion. "If they don't have this filthy planet take care of me in their Arena first."

Skoodge's antennae twitched, relieved that they weren't at each other's throats yet and they were at least _trying_ to act civil about this. "So when do you get separated?"

"Effective immediately." Zim replied, bluntly, his eyes glaring at the table as if it had done him some injustice. "I'm to continue housing with you, but as far as training goes, our shedules have been separated. The Dib-filth and I will see no more of each other."

"Or _us_, for that matter." Tak spat, making Skoodge nearly groan. But she composed herself quickly, obviously refusing to be the first to break the civility. "And you have come to terms with this?"

"An Invader is always willing to except punishment for failure." Zim said with automatic practice, running his hand over his antennae. "As an Elite, I am more than prepared."

The other two nodded solemnly, looking at each other before back to the floor.

And no more words needed to be said.


	10. So So sorry

**Hello everyone waiting for me to update this story,**

**Let me just say I'm really sorry I haven't updated this story in forever. I have had major writer's block for the story. I know I want to do something about Gaz's etiquette lessons but not really sure how to do it. If anyone has any idea's please let me know in the reviews or a pm. Thanks and also, I'm not trying to sound desperate but can anyone reading this please read and review my other two stories. I would appreciate it immensely.**

**Thanks in advance for the suggestions and again sorry I haven't updated in like forever.**

**D.B**


	11. Chapter 10: Catta

A/n: Hello Everyone. First off let me say happy belated Christmas, hanukkah, kwanza, or whatever else you may celebrate and a happy new year. Also, thanks top everyone who left suggestions for this chapter. They really helped. Credit for this chapter goes to INSANITY-BRILLIANCE. Sorry for not updating this story since I decided to take it over. A lot has been going on in my life since then that is just now settling down and while I had an idea for this chapter I didn't exactly know how to put it in words. But now that everything is okay now I plan on updating all my stories weekly now. So here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim.

* * *

Everything seemed okay (although it was a little out of character) with Dib. Gaz had planned out the "Answers" she would reply with, but the strange thing was that Dib only asked one, 'Why?', To which she was expecting but his reaction afterward was what knocked her on her ass.

Dib didn't say so much as a word to her, she expected him to scream and yell, tell her she can't, even now Dib was unnaturally quite, as if he was pondering something over in his giant head. (Yes, Gaz admitted his head was larger than average proportions, but she would never tell him that.) She knew that he wasn't freezing her out because the silence was more calm and collected than icy. Gaz focused her attention back down and finished off her crepe (what kind of prison game feeds people crepes?) and most of her fruit salad.

The loudspeaker broke the mostly pleasant atmosphere of the cafeteria, "All tributes head to the training area." Gaz stood up from her seat and said a quick bye to her brother, and then two guards escorted her to Mistress Ivy's living quarters.

When Gaz arrived she saw the last thing in the world she wanted to see in that moment. That obnoxious, egotistical Irken was standing there with two guards, that she assumed were there for the same purpose that the two that came with her.

"Why hello pathetic little Gaz." He had greeted her in such a mocking tone that it took all her will-power to not slap that insolent mouth of his. Before she could respond Ivy came out the electronic doors into the hallway and gave Zim a look that immediately silenced him.

"If you two would follow me I'll take you to your trainers," she stated as she issued one more glance at Zim.

As they traveled down the hallway Zim was mentally bashing himself for that fight with Dib, he would rather be stuck with him than his short tempered sister. The guards were still following him, he guessed that's what he deserved for causing problems, but as they came to another electric door Ivy ordered the guards to go back to their posts.

Gaz thought it was strange for Ivy to order the guards away, but she figured that whoever her and that Zim's trainers were that they would probably be able to handle them without the guards.

Once the guards had rounded the corner Ivy said the word "Catta" which was Latin for unknown species, Gaz had remembered reading it in one of her science text books. The doors slid open and they continued down the hallway to another door.

When entering the room Zim noticed that there were different sections like in the first training room but there was a different level that he could see through the glass floor that was all white with black dots. As Zim glanced up he noticed different floating floors, but what had really caught his attention was the human looking persons that Ivy had left to talk to. Gaz seemed curious to about them; they looked no older than she was.

"I brought your tributes." Ivy said.

They turned to see Ivy standing behind them. "From these files that you gave us they seem to be a handful," the girl said in pleasant tone while the boy just glanced up at her, then continued reading.

"I'll leave them to your discernment," Ivy said as she laughed leading them over to the tributes.

When Ivy came back with their trainers Gaz noticed that they looked human, but they had startling in-human appearances. The girl had long brown hair, about the same length as Gaz's, and fiery green eyes that seemed to shine in the well lit room. The boy was more startling however; he had blonde hair that clashed with his fiery blood red eyes that reminded Gaz of lava that she would see on the game slaves she used to play. They wore a similar uniform to one another they were both all black with a silver lining.

"These are your trainers you will follow their every order," Ivy said in harsher tone than normal. "They will report to me if you break the rules." Ivy issued a harsh glare at them both. As she turned to leave Ivy called out to the girl, "Zethel try not to put these two into a state of insanity." At this the boy snickered and Zethel turned to glare at him.

"Okay let's start with formal introductions, I'm Zethel and Mr. Snickers over here is my brother Jaspher," the girl started.

"We'll be teaching you combat and weapons training," Jaspher continued after issuing a glare back at his sister.

Zim examined these two closely. He didn't understand how they were to train a mighty Irken Elite. They both seemed to be smart, but he highly doubted that they would teach him anything that he didn't already know. "Zim you will follow my brother he will be training you in combat," Zethel said with a smirk. Jaspher was already walking away toward a section of the training room that looked similar to the level underneath when Zim started to follow him.

It was at that time that Zethel turned her attention back toward Gaz. "It says here that you wanted Etiquette training," Zethel asked raising a brow in question.

"Well technically," Gaz started.

"You only said that so you could get out of training with your brother," Zethel finished.

"Umm, yeah that's true," Gaz replied completely confused at how she had just had the words taken out of her mouth.

It's just great that my sister had to give me the Irken, why does she always find the most horrible ways to torture me? Jaspher thought to himself as he reached the section of the room that teleported them to the stimulation level beneath when he turned around to face Zim. From his file he seemed to be more of a problem then the human girl, Gaz as he remembered reading. "I'm going to be putting you in the stimulation level to see how well you fight and to find out any adjustments that I need to make to your fighting style during your training," Jaspher told Zim in monotone, "the stimulation level is as real as your existence. You can't die but you will probably be injured."

Zim noticed how Jaspher went about explaining the stimulation level in an expressionless voice, but he noticed that his eyes had a glimmer of annoyance. Which in all truth he couldn't blame him; if Zim had to train a bunch of tributes he would probably be a little annoyed himself. Zim teleported down to the lower level and waited as Jaspher turn on the stimulation. All the sudden he was somewhere else surrounded by tall structures that he figured were buildings. That was when he heard it twitching his antennas in reaction. He had barely dodged out of the way when one of the structures came tumbling down just inches away from to where he had moved. Zim understood now what Jaspher meant by the stimulation being as real as his existence. In that same moment that he dodged, robots started to appear out of thin air attacking him left and right. One had punched him in the torso area, thus causing a burning sensation in his squeedley-spooch to which he retaliated by ripping a few of the robots heads off.

Gaz was now being lead by Zethel to another area of the training room. She had suggested her learning some martial art and fighting techniques that are common on Earth. How she knew about them is a complete mystery to Gaz. When she stopped and turned to Gaz and smiled, "Do you know why I decided to focus on this?"

"To use the fact that humans have never been in these games to my advantage," Gaz answered.

"That is true, but the real reason is that I heard that Polyrisis knocked you on your ass," she said with a laugh. As much as Gaz hated to admit it that the comment was true and it is probably a good idea for Zethel to focus on this first.

She did admit she had a admiration toward Gaz when she first read her file and Zethel did hope that she would make it through the end. Zethel had decided to teach Gaz different forms of combat such as Aikido, Judo, close quaters combat, SCARS, and different sword techniques, along with fighting styles of different planets that she would be competing with. When they arrived to the dojo area of the training room Zethel turned to Gaz and began running her through drills.

When the stimulation ended Zim had to admit that he was exhausted. It felt like every muscle in his body was on fire and his squeedley spooch was in knots. There was a large pile of dismantled robots with missing arms, legs, and heads. Wires were everywhere sizzling and crackling as the landscape started to fade away with the robots one by one until he was back in the plain white and black stimulation level. Jaspher came forward with a clipboard writing things down.

"You need to focus on your surroundings more Zim," Jaspher commented while still writing on the clipboard. Zim was about to reply when Jaspher raised a hand to allow him to finish. "You have large a mounts of strength, but you could use more control. You actually remind me of my sister. You're both reckless," at this Jaspher had glanced up to make eye contact with Zim, "Strange how similar you two are." Zim blinked in confusion at this comment. He had never once considered himself reckless, but looking back through his memories the word reckless seemed to describe him pretty well.

Dib had been going through weapons training with his friends. He wasn't really that worried that Gaz had decided to train without him, she probably had good reasons to make that choice. He was also much less stressed since Zim had been removed from training with him. Yes he was a little angry when Gaz told him about them being separated because it seems now that they should be closer than ever seeing as their lives are on the line. He glanced down at the weapon he was holding, some type of alien rifle, that's what Dylit told him, he raised it into proper position and fired at the target. Dib had never been sure if he would have the will-power to kill someone; it seemed more like his sister as much as he hated to admit. He never liked thinking of his sister as a person that could kill but in this game they didn't really have any other option.

Gaz had picked up the moves fairly quickly to judo and aikido and was now listening to Zethel describe SCARS fighting. "The keys to SCARS fighting is to know the sensitive nerves of your opponent," Zethel explained while pointing out common pressure point among the other tributes. Gaz really did enjoy Zethel's way of teaching; she didn't look down on her but treated her more of an equal. She went on describing the pressure points and showing Gaz just how to hit them. "This comes in handy when you need to sneak up on someone and take them out without alerting anyone," Zethel said, "I recommend that you show this to your brother, it could save his life in the game."

When Zim and Jaspher arrived at the main level of the training room, Jaspher took him toward a section that was blocked off by metal walls, glancing over he noticed Gaz fighting with Zethel, her form was improving and now she moved in fluid graceful movements that resembled dancing. Zim hadn't even realized that he stopped walking until she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, that move however caused Gaz to be flipped on her back by Zethel. He smirked at this and continued watching as Zethel pulled her back on her feet then started following Jaspher again.


End file.
